Artist Interview: Reid Peppard, RP/Encore

I’ve just spent the afternoon wandering from bar to bar trying to track down a copy of station magazine. Apparently issue 3 is in the wild, and it would seem that an article written by yours truly features in it.

The subject matter of said article is the morbid accessories created by Reid Peppard under the banner of ‘RP / Encore‘. In order to get the scoop I bounced a few questions of the obliging lady herself.

YMLT: Most people feel that animals only to be worn if they serve function over form. What are your thoughts?

RP: I agree that general consumption of leathers meats etc aren’t treated with the appreciation and consideration they deserve. However, once an animal is dead I don’t see any reason as to why every bit of it shouldn’t be put to use both functionally and artistically. Otherwise it’s just a waste.

YMLT: How do you feel about the anger your work tends to attract?

RP: Well, most people actually seem to get the general concepts behind my work. The anger directed towards my work is usually from teenage girls who can’t see beyond their emotive reactions. Anyone who actually reads about these pieces will understand that most of what I do is simply preserving (with great care) creatures that would otherwise be left to rot and ruin in the streets of London.

YMLT: You’re a vegetarian, yet also work very closely with dead animals. Don’t you feel squeamish?

RP: No, I’m not squeamish at all. It’s a common misconception that taxidermy is this gory blood-n-guts sort of trade. It’s no more gruesome than a visit to your local butchers really. I was vegetarian/pescetarian before I learned taxidermy. That said, learning taxidermy hasn’t made me long for meat either. When you see how similar we are to all other mammals it seems almost cannibalistic to tuck into a rack of this or a leg of that. I don’t judge people who eat meat though…quite the contrary in fact. I know meat is good for you in many ways, and as I said before: once something has died, why not use everything you can?

YMLT: If you could source (naturally) one animal what would it be? and what would you create out of it?

RP: Hmmmm… I am particularly keen to get my hands on a couple Alsatian heads at the moment…

YMLT: What kind of people tend to buy your stuff?

RP: My work has been bought by all sorts of people… but I suppose the majority are men in creative fields like photography, graphics of fashion.

YMLT: Who has been your greatest influence on your creative output?

RP: I don’t look to other people for influence or inspiration.

YMLT: What are you working on right now?

RP: Right now I’m finishing up a commission for three wall mounted shields: a duck, a bunny and a squirrel with “disney happy happy faces”. Don’t ask…

The full article can be found in station mag somewhere in East London – if you find a copy, please let me know

posted: February 20th, 2010 | by: tomagotchi | perma: link | tags: accessories, artist interview, fashion, interview, reid peppard, rp/ encore, taxidermy | 3 Comments »

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