Zoo proposal, MRF

Update:
I plan to do what was mentioned in class, perhaps 4 stuffed animals at most, of different endangered animals.
I liked the suggestion of the sound from different parts of the animals anatomy, I thought this was interesting, and may incorporate this into the idea. 

The proposal below is much different and political than what I said in class, so please disregard it. 

Thank you, 
m.
 

Proposal project-

Who is involved?  Michelle Ralph-Forton

Your topic?  

Zoo institutions are targeted towards the audience of a child, the ultimate goal being to retain their attention. Amongst the feelings of joy, entertainment, and awe, zoos provide a certain level of empathy for animals as well, as it becomes one of the few places where man can really feel immersed amongst the exotic species that are presented to them here. Amongst learning educational facts, I feel that one of the main goals of a zoological institution is to integrate this feeling of incredulous wonder. It is with this point of intrigue that really enhances proactive movements towards conservationism.

Citing Hancock’s opinion when he states that “we are conserving zoos, not their natural habitat”, is my center of focus. I would like to take this comment and exemplify it by creating a system of animal interaction, and show that it is disconnected when they try to communicate with us. Our relationship with animals, as much as we may adore and revere them, is not a harmonious one, such as  relationships animals have amongst each other. Although there is a privilege and power in the animal kingdom, as survival of the fittest heavily comes into play, there is a different psychology that human beings obtain in feeling superior above all.

I feel that there is an absence of integration with animals and the wild, whereas it is integral for animals to cooperate and have mutualistic relationships to sustain themselves.

It is this chain that I would like to point out and break, literally, as I plan to print images on felt of different animal species (preferably the most endangered in the zoo) and stuff them, such that they are handmade stuffed animals. Each “animal” will have a long red line sewn to its belly. The belly will also have a QR code, where the viewer has to scan it to hear the noise. There will be a pile of these animals, (location TBA, perhaps scattered throughout, or in front of the most endangered animals) all with red lines leading to one solitary cut out of a human shadow walking away.  This will also have a scan code on it, where it will be an accumulation of human noises, city life, laughing, etc. It is meant to be convoluted and loud, ignoring the sounds of the animals.

In the end, I will say “Break the chain. Conserve animals in their natural habitats now, or risk their absence.”

I am thinking of this more as an art piece/installation in the open public. My intention is not to have the sound be debilitating if a spectator does not have a smart phone to scan the code, rather to equally be as powerful with its silence and accumulation of animals. Ultimately, if they do have the opportunity to hear it, this is great, but if not, I think it could work without sound, and just text on the man’s shadow.

Why is the topic a good one for general visitors?

I feel that visitors who go to the zoo already have an appreciation for animals. But I do believe we get side tracked forgetting that different species are critically endangered, and how easily it can be to lose them if we don’t do something about it. I want this piece to serve as a reminder that we have to listen to the animals, and not just watch. Hopefully, perhaps by the display/illustrations/colors of the stuffed animals will entice the crowd to further investigate what type of animal it is and become eager to try and help conserve them.