Forget taxidermy—encrusting animal remains with crystals is the new best way to send your pets onto their next lives. Caver and wilderness man Tyler Thrasher began collecting cicadas and animal bones from long hikes and combining them with the mineral formations that enthralled him while exploring underground caves. “I coupled that with my understanding of chemistry and chemical principles and combined the two,” Thrasher tells The Creators Project. “I decided to put an alchemical narrative behind my work, using cicada shells and remains to reference transformation, and skulls as momento mori—a stark reminder of our mortality and the alchemist’s pursuit to subdue it.”

Check out Thrasher’s other work below, and buy your own on his online store.

Check out more of Tyler Thrasher’s work on his website.

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