SHAUNA RICHARDSON: Crochetdermy

If you knew me better, you would know that I love taxidermy. I don’t just like to stroke the fur of stuffed animals, I go to bed with them. Since my cat Topi died, it’s become even worse. I would buy fur hats, pretend they’re him (my cat) and talk to them in bed until I fall asleep.

Enough about that, let’s talk about crochetdermy – something less cruel and more nature friendly. It’s a patent by artist Shauna Richardson.

Shauna’s background is in conceptual art. The unique body of work she terms ‘Crochetdermy’ evolved out of the exploration of the theory that  ‘Anything can be art’. She uses crochet to sculpt realistic life-size animals – uncanny taxidermy-like forms. Crochetdermy combines themes such as objects, collecting, craft and realism and experiments with accessibility and audience.

Richardson has received much critical acclaim. Her work is receiving worldwide media coverage and selling into collections across the globe. In 2009 Shauna won ‘Artists taking the lead’ part of the London 2012 Cultural Olympiad with the ‘Lionheart Project’. For two years she has been creating the largest single-handed crochet sculpture in the world. The finished piece will be housed in a mobile glass taxidermy style case and tour throughout 2012.