Charlie Tuesday Gates

Lives less ordinary ..... London is jam-packed full of people who make a unique contribution to our city. This week we talk to Charlie Tuesday Gates, the taxidermist. A pretty tomboy – in jeans, baggy T-shirt and floral-print baseball cap when we meet – Charlie Tuesday Gates is all bubbly vivacity and infectious laughter. Get her talking about animals, and her eyes twinkle in childlike wonder as she enthuses about their beauty. It’s almost easy to forget that you’re surrounded by death. ‘I got this for my birthday last year,’ she chirps, pulling a battered leather suitcase from a shed. ‘It’s the first thing I ever did. You might want to stand back,’ she says, flipping open the lid. ‘This one smells a bit.’ There’s an odour like a rugby team’s sweaty sock collection, and a dessicated fox’s remains jut from a pile of salt. With tail and nose still intact, legs thrust aloft, it could simply be playing dead. Except for the ribcage protruding from peeled-back skin. Next to it lies a kitsch

I was asked to do a D.I.Y Taxidermy talk/demonstration at this event. THRILLING WONDER STORIES A t the Architectural Asscoiation. LIVE in NEW YORK & LONDON Read all about it in this article  by   The Guardian '.....  This is the Architectural Association's third annual speculative sci-fi-inspired design jam, where architects are invited to think way out of the box, their imaginations cross-fertilised by "mad scientists, literary astronauts, design mystics, graphic cowboys, mavericks, visionaries and luminaries". They're not joking. Guests in London this Friday and Saturday (there's a parallel event in New York) include Vincenzo Natali , director of warped sci-fi movies Cube and Splice, author Bruce Sterling , taxidermy artist  Charlie Tuesday Gates (hosting a live workshop) and special effects supremo Andy Lockley , the man who folded up Paris in Christopher Nolan's  Inception , among other feats. It's the shape of things to come, you know.

Time Out came round. Alexi Duggins and photographer R ob Greig to be precise. Together Alexi and I skinned a magpie and chatted about what, why, how- the in's and out's of it all. And here's the finished article. My studio, 'Number 11' and me on page 12.  A better version will appear one day spontaneously. The magpie is now a beautiful headpiece.  More beautiful creations here.... Mind Like Magpie

10 lucky people were picked at random for a special workshop with me.  When the guests arrived they got to choose their new pet. In 2 hours, we skinned and stuffed our new fury friends. Rabbits WHERE DID THEY COME FROM? Number 11. Rescued from a skip during lambing season. 'SILENCE OF THE LAMBS' LIFE, DEATH, PRIZES! Previously on Life, Death and Prizes... Massive Katie Price fan. See ' Jordan's Pussy'   Exotic Pets in the D.I.Y Taxidermy Workshop Overall the workshop went well. These ten students really embraced the D.I.Y ethos - Using untraditional methods, inexpensive and accessible materials, we embarked on our journey through life and death... It was a bit like an after school club. They were fantastic, a joy to teach! Look at those smiles! However the rabbits I had brought from the internet to stuff were in appalling condition. I felt hideous about it. These creatures were intended to be fed to exotic pets like large snakes, but the

The D.I.Y Taxidermy show was  FULL ON. Described as: '' Intense'  Morris Wild ' Truly awe inspiring and amazing!!! ' Jack Wilkinson Having to do a workshop back to back with a show was heavy. The most intense 9 hours of my life. Very stressful- a bit like internal bleeding. I said some pretty funny stuff (funny in my head) but maybe my humour was too in the future sometimes with these extreme jokes...Jokes like the fact I don't like to wear gloves because it's like wearing a condom- you can't feel anything- 'Fox in a Box' The other classic was a response to someone asking where this taxidermy started and I replied that it could have come from me accidently burying my gerbils alive...... or seeing my friend having sex with a dog- Was this too far? If you look at it in the sense that it was a PERFORMANCE f rom a crazy subsitute teacher who was really an artist  then it was spot on. Spot on in the fact that it made no sense and it was the r

Yes that's right D.I.Y Taxidermy is back! LIVE SUNDAY 2ND OCT 6pm CORSICA STUDIOS Elephant and Castle SE171LB The 5th instalment of D.I.Y Taxidermy -This time we're going to town with lazers, smoke machines and wall to wall projectors.... not forgetting the all important stuffing. D.I.Y TAXIDERMY: A live demonstration, performance & artist talk all rolled into one. ' A bit like a biology lesson from your crazy substitute teacher...who is really an artist. ' In about an hour Gates talks an audience through her D.I.Y process (emphasis is heavily on the D.I.Y aspect). Delivered in a 'shopping channel' style, She gives 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. Here's what happened

& I will be doing a D.I.Y Taxidermy workshop at this amazing  interactive cinema event the 3rd Sept. Grandpas lodge will be re-created and inside you can genuinely get your hands dirty as you learn to skin and stuff an animal with me and Granpa too! " FUTURE CINEMA BRINGS CALIFORNIA TO LONDON IN A SECRET LOCATION PRESENTING THE CULT FILMS “THE  LOST BOYS Future Cinema, the creators of Secret Cinema, announced two very special film experiences in partnership with California Tourism. “California Classics” will see 80s cult classics “The  Lost Boys ” (Saturday 3rd September) brought to life as Future Cinema transforms a secret site along the banks of the River Thames into the sunny shores of California. The weekend will allow the audience a unique opportunity to relive their favourite films from the 80s, in true California style. The pioneers of Live Cinema, Future Cinema will fully immerse the audience in the films by bringing the beautiful beaches, surf and seaside amusemen