Exploring the symbol of ‘bird’ through folklore, popular narrative and story-telling, Naseem Darbey is interested in the darker side of Natural History Collections. Working from direct observation using a sewing machine, Darbey has created unsettling and melancholic bird drawings. Rather than creating a sense of animated life within the works, as often seen in wildlife studies and taxidermy, the stitched birds are consciously presented as lifeless (carcasses) in the exhibition.

Darbey has worked from ‘study skins’, - skinned specimens presented on handling sticks each individually tagged and used as a reference collection. The process of working from direct observation required that some of the recently dead birds were pinned on a flat surface so that each and every detail could be recorded. The dark connotation of this scientific, ‘behind-the-scenes’ approach is reflected in the gothic aesthetic of each piece, with heavy, sinewy lines referencing anatomical aspects of the work.

In order to create pattern and form within the studies, some natural tendencies and behaviour have been reflected. This is demonstrated in common star, a net of starlings that appears to be flocking together as they would in nature. Upon further observation the viewer sees that there is no life or movement in the birds’ closed wings. Darbey has also selected specimens that reference popular folklore and myth such as the ‘Nightjar’, this small-sized, unsuspecting bird was said to be the incarnation of the souls of un-baptized children during the Victorian era. These tales inform the series of drawings, further complicating the kitsch associations with nature drawings and adding layers of narrative meaning.

Study Skins was created during a five month residency at Cliffe Castle Museum and Art Gallery. The residency and the commissioned production of common star were funded by Bradford Metropolitan District Council and Renaissance Yorkshire. Naseem Darbey would like to thank Cultural Services: Bradford Museums and Galleries for enabling access to the collections and for all the expert knowledge and advice provided by the curatorial and education teams. Additional support and funding was provided by Fabric (Forum for the Arts in Bradford).