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Nowadays, I’ll often find myself lounging in the high back, upholstered chair of my parlor room, swirling a glass of scotch, staring at the crackling fire in the hearth, on top of which my cardboard deer head is mounted. And you too can be as pompous and pretentious as myself. A relatively new type of art project I’ve been into recently is cardboard taxidermy. Saying “cardboard taxidermy” sounds like a hunk of hollow cardboard punched and dented into a fashion resembling a beaver with a couple of eye holes pricked into it and stuck with unblinking eyes-but I assure you, it’s far better. Cardboard taxidermy is actually pieces of cardboard cut and assembled into the shape of animal heads on mounts. It’s like those mounted animal heads but instead of a dead animal hanging on your wall, it’s cardboard. Vegetarians, pescatarians, utilitarians- cardboard deer heads are the home decor made for you! You can be woodsy without actually handling dead things. Many different types of cardboard animal heads exist in the grand world of psuedotaxidermy. The most popular type right now is the mounted stag head, of which I’ve made two. One is currently hanging in my bedroom wall, watching over me while I sleep. The other is mounted upon the wall in my living room above our (also cardboard) fireplace where it brings joy to all my roommates. With our small living space, the stag adds depth and a Canadian cabin vibe to our cozy gathering room. Cardboard elephant heads are available if you’d like to introduce some African vibes into your home or if you’re just going for an animal decor theme. If you’re really bent on turning your Southern Californian house into a toasty Canadian cabin, the moose head is a popular choice. There are a myriad other decapitated cardboard animal heads out there and just one really adds atmosphere to a room. Average cardboard animal head mounts are priced from a range of 30to 60 dollars (please don’t buy them from Urban Outfitters, who also sells ramen packets for 5 bucks) but why drop that cash when you can just make your own and feel proud of it afterwards? I must say my own have turned out to be rejuvenating, fun craft projects. They have a splendid free deer head pattern on instructables.com (a fantastic website for the craft thirsty). All I had to do was print them out, gather a lot of cardboard (I went dumpster diving for the first time, ended up loving it, now I’m never going back), and start X-Acto-knifing away. Another plus side is that DIY cardboard pieces don’t have those disturbing, staring- or-not-staring-at-you eyes. After completing your wondrous piece of recycled taxidermy, guests will undoubtedly inquire about it. When that happens, you’ll swirl your drink a little more, and modestly retell the hunting story, emphasizing how you shot it right between the eyes. Arts 13 A handmade cardboard reindeer sets a cozy mood for a dreary living room (left); the craftmansship of the mounted deer head is noticable upon closer inspection (right) Recycled Taxidermy Finding alternative decor in cardboard art By Renee Schmiedeberg
