Charlie Tuesday Gates

Mind Like Magpie www.mindlikemagpie.com    www.dianajarvisphotography.co. uk   I was deeply nervous for about a week before the show. Crippling sleep loss type stuff. Nerves have never got me before. I just blank it out and don't think about the performance till I’m in it- It's complete spontaneous improvisation. I never know what I'm going to do. I find if you plan things then they go wrong. If you don't then everything is a bonus and surprise. I felt very differently this time. I started to over think, plan and stress about the show and I put a lot of mental pressure on myself. Worrying about what I was going to say- Would I even have anything to talk about? What if I was rubbish? Usual stuff. After a week I decided this was silly and to get over myself.  I always have something to say! The fear was replaced by my normal emotions. I wanted this D.I.Y Taxidermy to have somthing extra . Stuffing animals wasn't enough. Lightening struck a few days before the event

 I used to be a hardcore serial internet dater on and off for about 5 years. I did them all- Plenty of Fish, Guardian Soulmates, E-Harmony, Forget Dinner. I was a massive fan of Gumtree dating but the site got closed down because of all the weirdo's ; ). I used to like taking my dates to the Hunterian Museum (http://www.rcseng.ac.uk/museums).  Many things have come out of these random experiences-One guy contacted this year but he didn't have that special something. Weeks later he contacted me again saying he was a photographer- yeah right. I decided to believe him and meet him to talk about a doing some potential shoot- the front cover for 'Le Cool'. I decided I was feeling cool and to go ahead and do it. He wanted to go on location to some wasteland in East London. Suspicious. The day of the shoot he came to my garage to collect the stuff. I've never seen anyone gag so much in all my life! Every time he got a whiff he pretty much started to cry. The photo sho

 The beautiful Alix Fox of Bizarre Magazine came to  D.I.Y Taxidermy III- Back From The Dead  and then months later, this showed up in the magazine!  Bizarre Magazine April-May 11 NEXT......... D.I.Y TAXIDERMY IIII TUESDAY 3RD MA Y RED GALLERY 3 Rivington Street- Shoreditch 6-9pm FREE TICKETS CAN BE COLLECTED FROM ANY DIESEL STORE- ask inside for details.... Other news: Taxidermy Workshop I held my first D.I.Y taxidermy workshop last weekend at the Fish Bar Gallery, Dalston.  I am working on the feature film 'BORROWED TIME'- A dark comedy written and directed by Jules Bishop. The workshop was a one off making session/lesson, creating stuffeds to be used in the home of one of the main characters- PHILLIP: A bitter, twisted and lonely old bastard…with only a bizarre collection stuffed animals to keep him company.... This D.I.Y taxidermy crash course took twelve real people inside several squirrels and demonstrated how to stuff them us

 D.I.Y Taxidermy IIII  LIVE Tuesday 3rd MAY RED Gallery  Rivington street The 4th live demonstration, performance, exhibition  & artist talk all rolled into one.   'A bit like a science lesson from a substitute teacher...who is really an artist.'   In about an hour I will talk the audience through my D.I.Y process (emphasis is heavily on the D.I.Y aspect). Delivered in a 'shopping channel' style, I'll give you handy hints & tips for using basic everyday objects, where to source animal parts legally & personal preservation methods, giving a unique insight into this seemingly dark art and mind of an artist. The audience is encouraged to participate and generally be involved in the creation of a new artwork.   An exhibition will run alongside the show, displaying surreal and bizarre assemblage sculptures of recent finds. The animals are always refuse! I am disgusted by waste, especially the waste of life- the most precious gift of all! These creatures

 People have been asking and asking when the next show is. All I can say is soon. Need to remain mysterious. However don't cloak that mysterious venue from me and please please get in touch if you have or know of a suitable space. I'm always looking for places that will have me ;) What else? About to start working on a feature film with Jules Bishop called 'BORROWED TIME'. He won funding from the Microwave scheme, Plan B has just finished making his film with them too. http://microwave.filmlondon.org.uk/get_inspired/borrowed_time/directors_vision/directors_vision Breaking news from the past: I got kicked out of the old people's home for 'processing animals'.  Pretty sure that wasn't in the contract but oh well. I'll go into more harrowing detail soon but somone is shouting at me in the libiary and I only have 4 mins of air time left. Love from Charlie Gates x

Today I got a phone call from a friend saying I was in the new i Independent newspaper! Amazing surprising news! THE INDEPENDENT ART http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/art/features/taxidermy--this-hobby-is-dead-cool-2236663.html  Taxidermy - this hobby is dead cool Once dismissed as a Victorian throwback, taxidermy is now hot stuff. Enjoli Liston speaks to the artists who are bringing it back – and tries it out for herself Wednesday, 9 March 2011 'Artist Charlie Tuesday Gates is smiling as she stands poised, scalpel in hand, over the lifeless body of a lamb. This is “DIY Taxidermy”, the increasingly popular evening class that is not for the faint-hearted. Within the hour, Gates will teach an eager audience of around 80 students the basics of skinning a lamb and stuffing it with household objects, while they sip wine and make polite conversation.  Over the past five years, British taxidermy has enjoyed a popularity revival that has seen the

The response from the show was immense.  Some people loved it and as usual, some people hated it. I know there was some purists out there who were perhaps not expecting what they saw but the clue is in the title. D.I.Y really does mean D.I.Y. There was a good few taxidermists out in the audience who approached me and said they loved it too which was a surprise! I'm always most worried about them because I know I'm not doing it the 'traditional' way and that can be quite insulting for a craftsman/woman. Like a builder might feel about a cowboy.  However I hate being told what to do and how to think and am far happier making it up with more varied and interesting outcomes! Number 11 (Unamed photos by Nathan Whitham) For me there is nothing more boring than things turning out as expected...obviously I admire skill and craftsmanship...but we all have to make our own way in the world and I have chosen this one. The audience was brilliant. I like to think we had a rapport