Danielle Van Ark, a photographer based in Amsterdam, has gotten some attention lately for her eerie series of photos entitled, “The Mounted Life.” These photos let the viewer’s mind interpret the scene the way they like, but the animals are indeed “stuffed” and can be found in the back storage room of natural history museums. These images are intriging to me because they seem too still or rigid and in the wrong environment. The straight lines and the materials in the background aren’t natural. Something is not “right” here.

You could make an environmental interpretation or statement out of these photos. The fact that we visit natural history museums to see animals on display is odd, although I have been myself and enjoyed the visual learning experience. Can some animals only be seen in a museum now? What does that say about us?

You can read an interview with Danielle Van Ark about this photo series on the I Heart Photograph Blog. 

If I share an artist’s work on my blog that I would like people to be aware of, it is important to note that all the artwork, including photography, is the copyright of the artist. If said artist sees their work on this blog and wants it removed, please contact me and I will remove it immediately.