Steampunk Animal Trophies: A Valuable Recycling Lesson

It’s always strange to me whenever I see stuffed animal heads hanging on the wall in someone’s home. I know that to a hunter, killing a deer, for example, might be considered a big victory. Having his head cut off and mounted on a piece of wood to display as a trophy is a symbol of the hunter’s skill. To me though, it’s more of a symbol that as a species we are no different than the killing alien in the movie Predator. It just seems strange that we call ourselves evolved; yet we do that to animals.

I grew up surrounded by all kinds of guns. I learned how to handle a gun properly when I was just a little girl. When I was young I went hunting many times. I’ve sat hidden, wearing camouflage, in the forest, waiting to shoot a turkey at 4am. I know what that’s all about. However, now that I’m an adult, I don’t do it. I love animals too much. I suppose some would say I’m a hypocrite because I also love to eat steak and lobster, and the process to kill those animals is also inhumane. Well, that’s true, and I’m the first to admit I’m not perfect.

When I saw these steampunk animal trophy heads, I immediately knew I had to share them with you. Not only are they beautiful pieces of art, they are recycled… and the best part, they allow us to hang an animal trophy on the wall without killing a real animal. I like that! These robo-trophies are created with household scraps like a broken guitar and a damaged rocking chair. The designer, Nemo Gould, credits his love of mythology, comic books and science fiction for his inspiration. If you look closely at these pictures, you’ll see that he used an old salad bowl, some beads, pieces of a light fixture, vacuum cleaner parts, a toy motor, measuring spoons, an old cheese slicer, LED lights, and more.

He also added brass and aluminum (from an old slide projector) on most of them to add the Steampunk flavor. Even the mounting boards are typically made from a recycled material, in most cases, an old kitchen countertop. The antlers do an effective job of reminding us these are animal heads, sort of. You can learn more about Nemo by visiting his website at Nemomatic. If nothing else, this teaches me that there is a second or even third use for just about every single thing we have in our home that we think is ready for the trash. Wow!

Via: [1800Recycling] [Presurfer]