Anthology of Performance Pieces for Animals (2018), artist book
Anthology of Performance Pieces for Animals
Richard Ibghy & Marilou Lemmens
Drawing upon key experiments conducted in laboratories by psychologists, biologists, ethologists, zoologists and neuroscientists, Anthology of Performance Pieces for Animals (2018-ongiong) explores the various devices imagined by scientists to test the cognitive abilities of animals, including the examination of memory, spatial awareness, numerosity, and communication.
The work takes the form of an artist book presenting drawings of experimental apparatus alongside texts which read as instructions for performances. It also takes the form of small sculptures made of bamboo, string, and coloured gels.
Through an emphasis on performance, the work explores what happens when animals involved in research are no longer depicted as passive objects but rather as active participants, as performers, who make sense of the situations in which they are placed.
Texts, illustrations, and design: Richard Ibghy & Marilou Lemmens
Published by Horse & Sparrow Editons
ISBN 978-0-9881170-2-0
72 pages, 19 ills., 14.8 x 21 cm, b&w, stapled
Printed on risograph
2018, English
