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One man’s trash is another man’s medium.
Last night I got involved in a back ally group taxidermy project in Chinatown! It was orchestrated by my bro, Nate Hill. That is me in the green sweater digging in. We gathered at a corner on Canal and then crept into an ally. Nate and his crew set up a hands-on chop shop where onlookers were encouraged to push their sleeves up, put some gloves on and play with perserved dead animal parts. Nate gathers the animals from dumpsters in Chinatown and scrapes roadkill off the road in order to cut them up, mix and match and then sew them back together. The smell is the worst part by far. I created a lil somethin somethin but while I was trying to open the mouth on a fish head it clamped onto my glove a pricked my finger. I ain’t no pansy but getting bitten by a rolly polly fish head tripped me out a little.
I narrated one of Nate’s Chop Chop episodes last year so I knew what I was getting into. I don’t know which was more nasty though, touching the animals with my own hands or watching Nate work in a small room full of dead animal parts, hot, hot lamps and not nearly enough ventilation. Either way I love found object art, nasty or not!
Check out what I think is his most impressive work so far, The A.D.A.M Project.
He is also hosting a Chinatown Garbage Tour at the end of the month, dive in if you don’t mind getting dirty.
Learn more about Rogue Taxidermy here.