I am interested in investigating why we as humans separate ourselves from other non-human counterparts. We utilize our power as a species to profit off of animals, rather than protect them. The groups humans place animals in is intriguing and speaks a lot on the objectification that animals endure for our consumption. Growing up vegetarian has taught me that the value of an animal’s life doesn’t depend on its species. I view animals as something that we should protect and care for rather than something that exists soulfully for us to profit off of. The work shows these commonly recognizable creatures to the viewer in a way that presents them with a new lens with the artist's perspective present within the images. The relatable subject matter as well as my perspective being present in the shots allows for you to recontextualize how we view animals, bringing to the eye a perspective that one may have never considered. Pets, Textiles, Ingredients, Meats, Labor, Entertainment, Service, ect are just a few of the categories animal bodies exist to us in. How can we own a dog, but also buy a cowhide rug? How can we appreciate the love and companionship animals bring us but also crave the taste of the flesh of their body? Why do we support circuses and zoos without questioning the ethics behind these establishments? Confinement as well as empathy is something all living things can relate to but why do we always base our understanding of animals on academics rather than experiences? We’d rather focus on the science behind our brains as a tool to highlight all the ways in which we are different from them. We’re not looking at animals in a way that searches for our similarities. We should harness our power and privilege as human beings to look after these vulnerable creatures that we may not ever understand but should still respect and have empathy towards. Our understanding of a species shouldn’t diminish the value and right this creature has in life. I hope to touch the eyes of the consumer making them rethink what animals are to them personally. My photographs are tools that communicate how I view these beautiful creatures and force viewers to rethink past beliefs. In terms of how this project will physically exist, I would like for my prints to be very large scale. A huge part of this project requires the viewer to be fully immersed with a visual, provoking thinking and an increased sense of empathy. I would also like to include smaller prints in order to balance, causing viewers to have to become very intimately involved within the work. I would also like to include a sculptural element that helps materialize the human flesh into something that can relate visually to how animals are presented to us.
2022
