Animals and Ecology in Contemporary Art

Catalog description

This course will examine the growing visibility of animals in contemporary art and eco-political practices. Historical precedents, such as Joseph Beuys’s performances and the films of Chris Marker, will form the backdrop to the course's main focus on more recent forms of advanced art, such as bio-art, ecological art, and inter-species collaborations. Emphasis will be placed on tracing the profound ways animals have come to be reconfigured in art, online culture, and climate politics. To further their own thinking and practice in relation to these themes, students will also gain critical proficiency through essential readings across a number of different fields, including animal ethics, bio-politics, cognitive ethology, ecofeminism, environmental studies, postcolonial studies, and posthumanist theory.