FFWD Weekly
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Have animals will travel
Kit exhibit takes a humorous look at wildlife preservationBill Burns: How to Help Animals Escape From Degraded Habitats: The Kits
until March 1
Stride GalleryThe terrain between rigorous conceptualism and quirky humor can be difficult to traverse. Irreverence is often perceived as the antithesis to theoretical posturing and the exploration of socially relevant concerns in art. Despite this, Montreal artist Bill Burns manages to walk the line in his exhibition, How to Help Animals Escape from Degraded Habitats: The Kits. Part of an ongoing project that has included previous exhibitions, a field guide, Web site and interactive telephone system, Degraded Habitats questions the "dominant narratives about the needs and lives of animals in late capitalist economies." Without taking sides, Burns examines the complexities of Green Ideology and the strategies that are adopted to win our sympathies and support.
Previous works include stuffed animals sporting gas masks and fluorescent safety vests, while for this exhibition Burns has created kits that are designed to assist in the transport and smuggling of animals. Three travel cases similar to those used for technical equipment or instruments are arranged on tables in the gallery space. While the artist has produced a number of these kits, the ones at Stride are designed for Ants, Frogs and Prairie Dogs.
The Prairie Dog kit contains six plastic cases, each scientifically numbered and labeled. Case 1 contains anti-nausea drugs, small animal treats, a plastic water bottle, feeding nozzle and sanitary pads for dogs. The kit also contains a compass, survival candle, first aid kit, thermos and a toaster oven box for smuggling the animal. The ridiculousness of the implied scheme is heightened by the inclusion of objects such as a large rubber dog soother. The interactive nature of the kits further increases the fun, make believe aspect of the project.
Also included in the exhibition are a series of photographs in which Burns has constructed landscapes from piles of books, postcard-like backdrops and plastic animals. In a mountain scene, deer roam the open page of a book while a bear attempts to climb the binding onto the next page. Further down the stack of animal kingdom titles, a tiger poses incongruously on a ledge. While the images are appealing in their simplicity and feigned naiveté, Burns's intention is to "unravel ethnocentric and anthropocentric representations of nature."
The final element in the exhibition is a text piece, "A Guide to Setting Up your Will or Life Insurance from the How to Help Animals Escape from Degraded Habitats Foundation." In it, Burns parodies the language of wildlife endowment brochures. For example, one of the ways of giving packages proposes fusing barcodes onto the beaks of penguins in order to "ensure the efficient identification of rare animals for posterity." In many ways the texts found in the Guide are indicative of Burns's whole project. They represent both his idiosyncratic use of irony and humor while also making a point about the complex issues that arise from the very serious need to preserve endangered species. He deftly cajoles us into questioning how our perceptions and misconceptions have effected and informed those conservation efforts. In Burns's words, "The wild is calling. Are you listening?"
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