The incredible Jessica Palmer recently featured this exhibit on her blog. After a fire decimated the Parisian taxidermy shop Deyrolle a year ago, Martin d’Orgeval documented the destruction in a series of compelling photographs.

These large-scale photographs show the shop in the aftermath of the fire—the walls, floors and furniture are charred and damaged almost beyond recognition. However, natural sunlight filters through the wreckage, emphasizing the beauty of decay. In a striking juxtaposition, some of the animals stand unscathed among the rubble.

D’Orgeval’s statement in the press release beautifully encapsulates the concept of the series:

“That which Man and science had taken from the natural cycle of life and death and fixed forever for our wide-eyed pleasure was partially brought back to its original destiny: the fading and disappearance that awaits any creature. Time had been made to stand still, and Nature had reclaimed its rights.”

See photos from the exhibit at the Adamson Gallery.