Creation Date
2014
Preview
Medium
Dermestid beetles, rabbit skulls, lignum vitae, Plexiglass® box, plastic bag, duck skulls, dove skulls, bull elk skull, cow elk skull, deer skull, photocopy transfer, salvaged wood, silver gelatin prints
Rights
© Anne Griep, 2014.
COinS
Artist Statement
"A human being is a part of the whole called by us universe, a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feeling as something separated from the rest, a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty."
-Albert Einstein
There is an increasingly alarming disconnect developing between society and the natural world. This can be seen through growing disregard, even contempt, for natural resources, ignorance regarding the often-flawed processes that sustain human existence, and our ever-increasing narcissism that works to justify the mistreatment of resources, each other, and other living things so we may maintain a certain "standard of living." We are harming ourselves as well as the systems that support our lives simply in the name of "progress."
As the human race rapidly chases the ideals of “civilization,” the connection with the world around us has been lost. Where there was once respect for our natural resources and the processes necessary to sustain us, there is now ignorance. The majority of society has no idea where food comes from or how animals raised for their meat are treated. Consumption has become completely sanitized and the availability of these resources taken for granted.
This work not only highlights a traditional process of existence but also reflects the reverence with which one should view the natural world that provides the means necessary not only for human life to exist, but flourish.
For myself, harvesting wild game is not just a response to the current tragedy that is the factory farm approach to food production, nor is it simply a matter of economics. It is a chance to reconnect with the natural world while witnessing and appreciating firsthand the sacrifices that are made every day to ensure our own well being. The process of consuming another animal for our survival should be anything but sanitized and painless. The sacrifice that is made by another living creature should be reflected in the processes used to obtain it, and respect and gratitude paid.