Many of us have some kind of relationship with animals, whether they鈥檙e our beloved pets or the food on our dinner plates.听 听
But how do professors and researchers see the animals they work with? And how do artists treat animals as subject matter in their works?
The aptly titled Animal, the current exhibition at the AV俱乐部 Art Gallery, provides an opportunity to explore our relationships with animals more deeply, by delving into a range of philosophies, ethics, and ambiguities or contradictions. It also allows members of the Dal community to engage with art and discover confluences between disciplines in the humanities and the sciences.
Simon Gadbois of the Department of Psychology & Neuroscience and Cassandra Hanrahan of the School of Social Work shared their insights about works that have particular resonance with their research and interests. Both are also members of the Animal Studies Group, an inter-disciplinary menagerie of profs from Dal, King鈥檚 and other Halifax universities whose work deals with animals.
Into the wilds of thought
Dr. Gadbois, an ethologist (studying the behaviour of animals in their natural environments) and behavioural endocrinologist (taking hormones into account), has long been doing research involving 鈥渃anids鈥� 鈥� dogs, coyotes, wolves and foxes.
As it happens, three works in Animal feature dogs or coyotes. Dr. Gadbois seems most taken with Fugue, a DVD projection by Kenn Bass. 鈥淚t鈥檚 intriguing, mesmerizing 鈥� I could spend a long time watching this,鈥� he says of the three rapidly flashing frames of images and text, one of which features a coyote.
Because of the title, Dr. Gadbois first thinks of Bach鈥檚 fugues 鈥� and something about the flashing images does seem measured, patterned, as a piece of music. Then one such phrase of flashing text prompts memories of his research: 鈥渂eing accused of lying when one is telling the truth鈥� reminds him of investigating reports of coyote sightings in Cape Breton, finding stories about encounters that didn鈥檛 quite add up: 鈥淚n my estimate, about 50 per cent of the reports were fake, made up.鈥�
鈥淧robably that differs from what was in the mind of the artist,鈥� Dr. Gadbois says. 鈥淏ut that鈥檚 one thing that鈥檚 great about this piece, is that people can relate to it in many different ways.鈥�
Another work, John McEwen鈥檚 Shunt (X), speaks directly to those with a background in psychology. The large, rectangular metal box is modeled on an apparatus researchers used to demonstrate how quickly 鈥渓earned helplessness,鈥� can be acquired, Dr. Gadbois explains.
A dog, enclosed in the metal box, would jump over a partition to avoid a mild electric shock. But gradually, 鈥渋t would be impossible for the dog to avoid the shock,鈥� he continues. 鈥淭hey would just lie in the corner and not respond.鈥�
Many have rightly questioned the experiment鈥檚 ethics, but the researchers did gain an understanding of 鈥渉ow the depressed brain works鈥� and how both human and non-human animals react to situations in which there is a loss 鈥� or perceived loss 鈥� of control. And that relates to Dr. Gadbois鈥� view of the piece鈥檚 other component, a much-larger-than-life-size metal skull: 鈥淚 saw it as the ego 鈥� it鈥檚 in there that things go wrong when a lack of control happens.鈥�
Power, subjugation, symbolism
While Dr. Gadbois acknowledges that this type of experiment on animals is part of what he says is a 鈥渟ad but continuing history in psychology and neuroscience,鈥� Dr. Cassandra Hanrahan鈥檚 interpretation of the piece is more up front in its criticism.
鈥淚 find it very disturbing,鈥� she says. 鈥淚t strikes me that the outcomes of so many of those early experiments could have been learned in other ways.鈥�
"What came to mind immediately from an eco-feminist perspective,鈥� Dr. Hanrahan adds, 鈥渋s the giant skull is a symbol for the separation of mind from body, and the way that the bodies of non-human animals 鈥� and of women, children, and racialized others 鈥� have been subjected to male dominance generally, and throughout the history of the medical industry.鈥�
This interpretation is in line with her own research interests, which focus not only on speciesism 鈥� that human animals often privilege themselves over non-human animals 鈥� but on all relationships that involve or potentially involve roles of dominance and subordination.
She says that Dal鈥檚 School of Social Work, with its anti-oppression mandate, is to 鈥渁cknowledge conventional power dynamics between client and worker,鈥� and any 鈥減ower imbalance,鈥� and consider 鈥渉ow to build mutually collaborative relationships, rather than ones that are hierarchical and based on 鈥榦thering.鈥欌��
Her thoughts about Dagmar Dahle鈥檚 sculptural installation, Rare-Common-Extinct (pictured above), have a similar theme. The piece consists of a number of unglazed ceramic figurines placed upon wooden shipping crates; most are birds, but a couple are figurines of women in Victorian dress, another is of a stereotypical 鈥淚ndian鈥� in traditional head-dress.
Dr. Hanrahan sees this collection as deliberate and symbolic of how animals, women, and First Nations people are constituted in the dominant imagination, drawing attention to the socially constructed character of identity.
Each figurine has had a variety of holes carved into it (when the ceramic pieces were still wet). Dr. Hanrahan sees these holes as symbolic of 鈥渢he ways the bodies of the 鈥榦ther鈥� are devalued, marginalized, and oppressed 鈥� how animals, women and First Nations peoples are subject to a range of human activities that are, essentially, violent.鈥�
Overall, she understands the piece and the holes in them to be about听 鈥渙bjectification鈥� 鈥� just part of the larger Western habit of 鈥渙thering鈥� that the School of Social Work seeks to redress through its holistic and collaborative approach to health and well-being.
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Dr. Hanrahan believes art exhibits such as Animal can go a long way to furthering the dialogue about our relationships with animals and with each other 鈥� and more specifically, how human-animal interactions and our shared ecologies are important to sustainable approaches to health care.
鈥淎rt like this needs to assert itself into the public discourse more actively,鈥� she says.
Animal runs through December 2 at the .