Natural Habitat

I was thinking here...

The becoming-domesticated series could also be called Natural Habitat or In Natural Habitat.

8 limbed baby

A toddler in Idia was born with eight limbs and believed by some to be the reincarnation of the multi-limbed Hindu goddess Lakshmi. How convenient for her to be vborn in India for such an honour. Poor her, though, would have died without the surgery, but has been saved now. Non Hindus point out she looked more like an octobus, rather than a goddess. I suppose this depends on the cultural point of view.

Woman lives with cheetahs, lions and wolves... and dogs

South African cat keeper Riana Van Nieuwenhuizen ives with four cheetahs, a lion cub and two wolves. http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/world/2009-04/02/content_7644659.htm

BBC3 My Life as an Animal

BBC3 did me a favour and premiered a new reality TV series last week calle "My life as an animal". The first eprisode saw two people living with pigs for 4 days. The idea was to get the pigs accept them as pigs, rather than human.

The guy was brilliant! He was really into it. I suppose it was all a bit of a game to him and a challenge as an actor. He went right into it, smeared pig shit all over his face and started making the noise the pigs mke, so they would think he is one of them. Pigs being very intellgent animals, were kind of fooled. Well done!

becoming-domesticated

I followed the idea of the cheetah image and named this series "becoming-anima". The second shoot was not very frutiful. Out of four poses there were only two to really work with. I have to practice my animal poses with more precision. Or just use someone else.

Man with a tale

Berlusconi becoming an animal

Granted, having sex is a very human thing. Nevertheless, what Berlusconi does to this poor police woman, reminds me dogs doing it on the street. Moreover, the fact that this is the Italian prime minister (who should know better) makes his behaviour even more uncivilized or animal-like.

Any random person would be arrested for sexual harrasment if caught doing this. I guess Berlusconi gets away with it...

Dog gives birth to mutant creature that resembles human being

This happened in Russia. Apparently a dog gave birth to a bunch of puppies and one of them looks more like a human being... I thought this is very appropriate considering my project. If this is real news, then I feel really sorry for the little puppy. It's probably not going to hang on for very long.

It's a bit creepy. But why? Because of it's uncanny resemblance to a human baby, when it's clearly not one?

To look at

Movies, artists, theorists and other inspirational things to look at. Daniel, Paul and others:

Ken Russell's "Altered States" 1980
I have a feeling that I've seen this film already, but judging by the trailer and clips on YouTube, it's worth having another look. It's a bout a scientist who tests hallucinogenic drugs on himself while floating in the isolation tank. His hallucinations soon become more than psychological and start altering his physical form.

Bruce Nauman's "Self-Portrait as a Fountain" 1966
Nauman stays himself but takes a form of something else. In this case a fountain. Kind of relates to my photographs of becoming animal.

Alexa Wright "Archaeology of the Self" 1997
In this work the body is represented as ambiguous, androgynous, sculptural and monumental. Alluding to both geological formation and artefact, these images contemplate natural/cultural constructions of self. Fossils, resembling tattoos, are depicted embedded in the back to explore ideas of the body as a territory partly formed and occupied by its own (cultural) history and partly consciously controlled.Wright's other work like "I" (1998/99) are quite interesting as well. She explores similar themes to what I am and uses similar technique, mainly digital manipulation to show what she needs to show.

Ingrid Pollard "Pastoral Interludes" 1980s
A series of photographs of herself in rural landscapes. The works challenge the way that English culture places black people in cities. Just to look at in connection to the "gorilla" image - reclaiming the countryside...


From Jüri:
Becoming animal is something a actors have to observe from time to time. Taking the right pose and making the right movements is the key to representing an animal on stage. Most animals have a characteristic part of the body that an actor can imitate and with success that should be enough to unlock the secret of looking like an animal. Theories to read:

Jerzy Grotowski "Towards Poor Theatre"
This Polish innovator of experimental theatre should give me some clues to how to take the animal form.

Jacques LeCoq
Most famous for his methods on physical theatre, movement and mime

Feedback 31/03/09

Reaction to images: two stand out more and they are the ones I like most myself. They are the 'being human, posing like an animal' images. The big cat at water source and the gorilla at the picnic area. I'll call them cheetah and gorilla.

Cheetah: Looks like from National Geographic program. The animal has been caught at its natural habitat, drinking water from the source. The mood of the image, the leaves leaving shadows, the look, all very good.


Gorilla: Good choice of props and location. Looks like bad acting. Trying to be an animal, but is not really. Good that looks like English countryside, not a savannah or gorilla's natural habitat. Feels like trendy city person is reclaiming the English countryside as an exotic animal. Reaction to notion that you will almost never see anyone except white middle class English people at the countryside. (Not so sure about that) Doesn't look like a jogger (like I intended), rather like a trendy person. This has definitely more meanings to it and seems most interesting out of all the images. Use of colour was mentioned as well. The flat yellows in the background and the yellow hoody are very well opposed.

Both: Perhaps digital editing on bodies and faces is not necessary. Just the pose should be perfectly animalistic and convey the meaning equally well. I disagree. The use of digital editing is a comment on the mutability of the photograph and the image of the body. It's also related to the uncanny and abject that I wrote about earlier.

So, I guess I should carry on along these lines and produce more work.