Whilst browsing the internet for new taxidermy related books to tickle my fancy, I have recently discovered this little gem.
Laurent Bochet's '1000 Degrees Celsius Deyrolle' documents the aftermath of a wildfire that ripped through one of Paris's most beloved taxidermy shops. In the wee hours of 1st February 2008, a four-alarm fire raged, 1000º C: Deyrolle documents the aftermath with hauntingly beautiful images of the shop.
The owner of this 200 year old boutique, Louis Albert de Broglie, gave Bochet - a close friend - carte blanche to capture it all on film. His only challenge was making sure his twisted and disfigured subjects lasted through their photo session. Working quickly, Bochet set up a makeshift studio on-site. In the harried two weeks following the fire, he shot close to 300 photographs—from eviscerated goats and roasted butterflies to liquefied canisters and sooty minerals.
After nearly two years renovating the space and rebuilding the collection, Deyrolle recently reopened his new and improved digs with a pared-down yet still remarkable collection.
A wonderfully unusual book, beautifully capturing this tragic event. If you are ever crossing the channel to visit Paris I'm sure the shop itself would be well worth a visit:
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