A Hanging Fog, squirrel (taxidermy), bluebottles, nylon

The taxidermy artworks of Claire Morgan serve as eerily pretty meditations on nature and the cycle of life and death. In her works, Morgan uses a mixture of natural materials – taxidermy animals, seeds and other plant matter – as well as synthetics like plastic and nylon. I find the combination of the two lends extra power to these already monumental sculptural pieces.

Over and Out, wood mouse (taxidermy), dandelion seeds, nylon

Morgan echoes this combination of natural and synthetic by creating three-dimensional geometric forms out of leaves, seeds and twigs, often hanging them in these formations by synthetic threads. Recent artworks carry the motif of an animal looking up at, or being engulfed by a sphere, cube or other prism-like form of more natural materials.

Encased in glass display boxes, the works look like a strange combination of futuristic technology and museum relics, an artistic anachronism of sorts. Morgan currently lives and works in London, UK, where she personally performs the taxidermy involved in many of her works.

Hangover, fox (taxidermy), bluebottles, nylon, lead.