Taxidermy at Work explores a fascinating practice that emerged during the Renaissance and remained popular for centuries. Wealthy collectors filled their studies and cabinets with rare and unusual specimens, proudly displaying them to visitors. By the twentieth century, however, taxidermy had fallen out of fashion and largely disappeared from mainstream culture. In the 1990s, artists began to revive and reinterpret the craft, helping restore its status as a legitimate artistic medium.

The film focuses on three contemporary artists who incorporate taxidermy into their work. Taxidermy is the art of creating lifelike representations of animals or birds, traditionally using the preserved skins of the animals themselves. These are mounted over specially constructed forms to recreate a realistic appearance. Today, however, practitioners often use anatomically accurate mannequins rather than relying on traditional methods. Taxidermy continues to play an important role in the creation of museum exhibits and in preserving hunting trophies for private collections.

People decorate their homes in many different ways, and taxidermy remains one of the more distinctive forms of interior design. Museum visitors are still fascinated by famous examples such as the Gripsholm Lion, presented to King Frederick I of Sweden, and Lisette, the beloved horse of Peter the Great. Taxidermy has also appeared prominently in cinema, including Alfred Hitchcock’s classic film Psycho and György Pálfi’s Taxidermia.

Directed by Gregory Shephard, Taxidermy at Work was released in 2017. The documentary has a running time of approximately ninety minutes and was produced by Museum Urubu.

Watch Taxidermy at Work online on the MEGOGO streaming platform.