Jazmine Miles-Long
‘I grew up a vegetarian and I loved taxidermy, but it was complicated because of hunting and the ethics around it’
Many people have a strong reaction to taxidermy. ‘It’s the death thing,’ admits Jazmine Miles-Long. After studying for an artdegree,shevolunteeredatBrighton’sBooth Museum, where she was taught by the curator. ‘I grew up a vegetarian and I loved taxidermy, but it was complicated because of hunting and the ethics around it.’ When she realised she could make work using animals that had died naturally, her career took off.
As well as working for museums in the UK and internationally, she makes sculptures for galleries and private commissions. A lot of her clients are also vegetarian or vegan. ‘They don’t like taxidermy, but then a bird will fly into their window and they’ll think, “I can’t throw that away, what can I do with it?”. Because I only work with animals that have died from natural causes, they feel a connection to me and my work.’ Her process involves creating a sculpture of the animal before upholstering the skin onto it. She uses wax and wood – the same materials used in taxidermy for centuries. The plastics common in modern taxidermy, she discovered, can release harmful gases. ‘If I’m creating something, I want to know it’s not going to damage anything around it and that it’s going to last for hundreds of years, looking just as good as when I first made it,’ she says.
Miles-Long’s animals are presented in colourful box frames, often with wax or porcelain sculptures mixed in. It’s an approach that distinguishes her work from that of the Victorians. ‘It’s a bit traditional, but not, because it doesn’t have the fauna or the paintings inside it,’ she explains. The goal, she adds, is to make work that encourages the viewer to engage with the animal. ‘I don’t want to create anything that takes you away from the beauty and simplicity of that living – now dead – thing. I try to keep the work as respectful as possible. You wouldn’t be able to be a good taxidermist if you didn’t love animals.’ jazminemileslong.com; @jazmine_miles_long