Dierendoders (werktitel)
audiovisual work, work in progress
From the village to the city, humans are surrounded by all kinds of animals. These animals, small and large, are dependent on our actions; we decide where they live, how they live, whether they live at all. We each have experienced the death of an animal—swatting an annoying fly, poisoning a lettuce-eating snail, or putting down beloved pet. Conversely, far fewer people have witnessed the butchering of a chicken, pig, or cow.
Dierendoders is an audiovisual investigation into our varied responses to the many forms of animal killing that happen daily. How do hunters Geert and Loes, Wally who does animal testing research, Edith who killed mice for her owl and Valentijn who killed roosters in his backyard experience death? How does it influence their daily lives? By giving a platform to those who regularly end animals' lives – professionally or as a hobby – Okki Poortvliet highlights the complexities of animal death and our relationship to it. Through her multimedial works, she explores how art can portray the many facets of animal death: the painful, the beautiful, and the hidden. By making all forms (of animal death) equally tangible, the works unravel how the visibility of some deaths and the invisibility of others impact our connection to the many animals around us.
Why do we grieve the death of a dog but tolerate the killing of a fish? Where do we draw the line between pets and livestock, between grotesque and tolerable death? Dierendoders invites us to rethink our own relationship to animal death, looking at the often unseen and repeatedly disregarded.
This project is supported by Noordenaars, Mondriaan Fonds, Amarte Fonds and New Noardic Wave.
NL
Dierendoders is een audiovisueel onderzoek naar hoe mensen op allerlei verschillende manieren het doden van dieren ervaren. Van het doodslaan van een vlieg tot het doden van een koe.ENG
Cows, fruit flies, horses, cats, sheep, herring, badgers, moths, moles, slugs, deers, hares.From the village to the city, humans are surrounded by all kinds of animals. These animals, small and large, are dependent on our actions; we decide where they live, how they live, whether they live at all. We each have experienced the death of an animal—swatting an annoying fly, poisoning a lettuce-eating snail, or putting down beloved pet. Conversely, far fewer people have witnessed the butchering of a chicken, pig, or cow.
Dierendoders is an audiovisual investigation into our varied responses to the many forms of animal killing that happen daily. How do hunters Geert and Loes, Wally who does animal testing research, Edith who killed mice for her owl and Valentijn who killed roosters in his backyard experience death? How does it influence their daily lives? By giving a platform to those who regularly end animals' lives – professionally or as a hobby – Okki Poortvliet highlights the complexities of animal death and our relationship to it. Through her multimedial works, she explores how art can portray the many facets of animal death: the painful, the beautiful, and the hidden. By making all forms (of animal death) equally tangible, the works unravel how the visibility of some deaths and the invisibility of others impact our connection to the many animals around us.
Why do we grieve the death of a dog but tolerate the killing of a fish? Where do we draw the line between pets and livestock, between grotesque and tolerable death? Dierendoders invites us to rethink our own relationship to animal death, looking at the often unseen and repeatedly disregarded.
This project is supported by Noordenaars, Mondriaan Fonds, Amarte Fonds and New Noardic Wave.
