Animalia, 2011

Corvus Corone

2011

Vulpes Vulpes

2011

Tyto Alba

2011

Passer Montanus

2011

Meles Meles Canescens

2011

Animalia

“It is precisely in death that the power of the photograph is revealed…” – Eduardo Cadava (1997)

Animalia is a photographic series exploring the tension between life and death through the depiction of British wildlife. Each of the five large-scale images presents taxidermy animals situated within natural environments, devoid of human presence yet subtly suggestive of it.

Drawing on Norman Bryson’s reflections on still life, the work expels human activity and embraces a space where nothing occurs - scenes are quiet, settled, and suspended in time. Despite this, a sense of touch lingers; viewers may recognise the textures of fur or feathers, underscoring the familiarity of these native species.

The series considers photography’s role in preservation, echoing Cadava’s idea of the image as “the corpse of an experience.” In choosing common British wildlife over domestic pets, Animalia speaks to the generic rather than the personal, inviting a collective contemplation of death, stillness, and the quiet tension between presence and absence.