Seminar – Animals look at us

Animals look at us

Animals cannot make copyright claims. With this ruling, the U.S.

Federal Court concluded the years-long legal dispute that the animal

protection organization Peta led on behalf of the macaque Naruto

against the photographer Slater. Naruto had grabbed his camera and

taken selfies. For Peta, it was clear that the photos belonged to the

monkey and not the photographer.

As twisted as this example may seem, it is very telling for our time

today: On the one hand, we face the blurring of dualistic boundaries,

such as the one between animals and humans, and new forms of

subjectivation, on the other one, animals are exploited to a global

degree. Simultanously, they are victimized, regarded as strangers or

given rights as individuals. Art, film, design, architecture and

philosophy have always addressed the precarious relationship

between humans and animals. This relationship will be explored in the

seminar through images, texts, objects, stories, personal observations

and experiences with animals. The goal of the seminar is to create a

polyphonic tableau of our relationships with animals and to place it in

an aesthetic-theoretical context. We are especially interested in

aesthetic ways of coexistence, cohabitation and conviviality.

The students are requested to bring examples (images, photos,

objects, animals…) of their interest into the first lession.