I have been accepted into the inaugural Animals & Society Institute Summer Program, hosted by the University of Illinois for the project speaking meat – following on from the work I produced with Bruce Mowson for ‘Why Listen to Animals?’ for Liquid Architecture, presented at Westspace in 2016.
speaking meat: the possibilities and issues of strategic anthropomorphism in creative practice
The project/problem I will be addressing in this institute is what are the possibilities and issues related to using ‘strategic anthropomorphism’ in creative practices? Does strategic anthropomorphism simply flatten out the alterity that ethical empathic engagements with non-human animals should illicit. This project aims to explore, investigate and play with the possibilities of strategic anthropomorphism in giving voice to animal bodies, and in particular the meaty remains of animal bodies. Anthropomorphism is viewed critically within the visual arts and often, if not always, elided with anthropocentrism, but has recently found support in a range of other disciplines from the animal sciences to literary studies.
lynn mowson 