She was working part-time at Levi’s, and he was on the lookout for a brand new pair of denims. What began as an opportunity encounter led to months of texting forwards and backwards, and a 12 months later, Vivian Tham and Jivan Jothi went on their first date, marking the beginning of their relationship.

However little did Jivan know that he acquired along with a lady with a uncommon pastime: Taxidermy, the preservation of useless animals.

“I’ll admit—I used to be a bit stunned. It’s not precisely one thing you hear daily,” he shared. “However as soon as she began sharing her perspective, I noticed how a lot depth there was in it. It wasn’t morbid or unusual; it was considerate, respectful, and really attention-grabbing.”

Moved by her immense ardour and meticulousness within the craft, Jivan determined to wholeheartedly assist Vivian when she launched her taxidermy studio, Black Crow Taxidermy & Artwork (BCTA), whereas additionally juggling his day job as a industrial airline pilot.

“I needed her to know that somebody believed in her as a lot as she believed in what she was doing,” he stated.

Entering into taxidermy

Vivian’s fascination with useless bugs and animals started in her childhood, when she and her brother would accumulate insect corpses, together with beetles, butterflies, and dragonflies again at their residence in Ipoh, Malaysia.

That early curiosity led her to review zoology in Sarawak, the place she first got here throughout taxidermy. By means of her diploma, she gained a deep understanding of anatomy and animal physiology, and spent years experimenting, in search of mentorship, and honing her craft.

Finally, she moved to Singapore, the place she now works as a full-time medical technologist. After her 9-to-5, she swaps her lab coat for the instruments of a taxidermist.

However zoology isn’t the one path to turning into a taxidermist. In response to Vivian, there isn’t any single, formal path, or devoted college diploma for the craft. Most practitioners, like her, choose it up by means of a mixture of associated pursuits, resembling biology, artwork, or conservation.

Profitable taxidermists have to possess a robust understanding of animal anatomy, a respect for the topics they’re working with, regular arms and endurance like that of a surgeon, a willingness to study by means of trial and error—and naturally, the precise instruments and supplies.

It began as a house enterprise

Vivian first began Black Crow Taxidermy & Artwork in her residence, revealing that she had spent just below S$10,000 to arrange her workspace and buy the required instruments, preservation supplies and primary tools.

She then moved right into a public studio at Pearl Hill Terrace in 2021, spending roughly S$14,000 along with Jivan to launch the studio in Chinatown.

On condition that BCTA was Singapore’s first industrial taxidermy studio, Vivian and Jivan needed to construct the enterprise from scratch. “There wasn’t any playbook we may observe—we have been actually writing the playbook and paving the trail. This took a big period of time to determine,” defined Jivan.

Regardless of this, the couple efficiently launched their studio, the place they provide six types of preservation:

Demystifying taxidermy

One of many largest challenges Vivian and Jivan needed to grapple with was the taboo related to the useless. In response to Jivan, taxidermy just isn’t as mainstream in Asia as it’s within the West, and the enterprise is commonly mistakenly related to superstition and questioned for its ethics.

Nonetheless, the couple emphasised that every one of their specimens are sourced ethically and don’t hurt animals for his or her work, both naturally deceased or donated.

Furthermore, in Singapore, it’s unlawful to own or work with protected or endangered species with out having the right permits. As such, BCTA doesn’t take care of endangered species and operates on a strict no-catch, no-kill coverage.

For Vivian, taxidermy is greater than approach; it’s a mixture of science, artwork and a solution to current quiet respect for the deceased animal. She finds a profound magnificence in preserving an animal’s type, and it honours a life that’s as fleeting and simply forgotten.

“It’s my approach of claiming: this life mattered. And it nonetheless has one thing to point out us,” she added.

To interrupt down misconceptions about taxidermy, BCTA additionally hosts instructional workshops, resembling insect preservation and animal dissection lessons—a transfer that they stated has helped reshape public perceptions of the craft.

“For a lot of, it’s their first time seeing demise framed in a considerate and delightful approach, and that have usually sparks significant conversations about nature, reminiscence, and conservation,” Vivian stated.

As well as, Jivan defined that promoting taxidermy alone wouldn’t be sufficient for the enterprise to outlive because of its robust area of interest and small market share in Singapore. By providing workshops, it has additionally created one other income stream for BCTA.

Black Crow Taxidermy & Artwork is seeing rising demand

At the moment, BCTA has grown from a two-person present right into a lean staff consisting of full and part-time workers, in addition to long-term volunteers.

And it has seen rising demand. In response to Vivian and Jivan, the studio has been receiving common inquiries not simply from people but additionally from establishments, educators, and artistic collaborators.

The couple additionally shared that the studio has seen year-on-year will increase in workshop attendance and product gross sales, with income rising steadily since its inception. As well as, they’ve additionally bagged collaborations with Heritage Board and nationwide establishments and museums such because the Singapore ArtScience Museum.

BCTA has additionally moved from its Chinatown studio to an even bigger area at Sin Ming, following information of the redevelopment of Pearl Hill Terrace and in a bid for a extra “spacious, well-equipped surroundings” as they tackle larger and extra complicated tasks.

Nonetheless, each Vivian and Jivan nonetheless maintain their day jobs and run the studio on the facet. Although they’ve ambitions to finally function the enterprise full-time, the couple stays pragmatic on their strikes.

Though they’re inspired by the rising demand, they’d solely contemplate going full-time as soon as the studio stabilises financially.

Nevertheless it’s not nearly cash—it’s about ensuring the studio can assist not solely our livelihoods, but additionally our imaginative and prescient, our ethics, and the group we’ve constructed round it.

For now, we’re contining to speculate our time and vitality into BCTA, and we’re enthusiastic about what the long run holds. Going full-time is unquestionably on the horizon—it’s only a matter of the precise second, not if, however when.

Jivan Jothi, managing director and co-founder of Black Crow Taxidermy & Artwork

Within the quick time period, Vivian and Jivan purpose to increase their staff and the vary of workshops and hands-on experiences to cater to broader audiences. They’re additionally growing a curated retail assortment that includes ethically sourced specimens, pure history-inspired artwork and residential decor items.

Sooner or later, the couple expressed their purpose to launch a sequence of mini museums, which they described as small, thoughtfully curated areas that includes taxidermy items and pure historical past curios, serving as each instructional instruments and inventive shows.

As well as, Vivian and Jivan additionally plan to introduce an authorized and recognised taxidermy course that goals to standardise moral practices and nurture the following technology of taxidermists and pure historical past artists, which would be the first of its sort within the SEA area.

“We envision a bigger everlasting area that serves as each a public gallery and a working studio, whereas persevering with to type partnerships with museums, conservationists, and inventive communities. To reshape public notion of taxidermy—making it accessible, related, and provoking for all,” the couple shared.

• Be taught extra about Black Crow Taxidermy & Artwork right here.
• Learn extra tales we’ve written on Singaporean startups right here.

Featured Picture Credit score: Black Crow Taxidermy & Artwork