I wanted to make art for animals. In order to make art for animals, I needed to know what kind of art animals would like. In order to know what kind of art animals would like, I needed to understand what it’s like to be an animal–what it’s like to see and hear and think and feel and behave like an animal. Thus, a series called Sketches for Art for Animals.
This project is a little different from some others in the series, in that it attempts to heal a social divide that exists between the owners of various kinds of pets.
People put on a microphone headset, put a paper bag over their heads, then record their innermost thoughts about cats, dogs, cat owners, or dog owners. The software alters their voices for the purposes of anonymity, and plays the messages at random times throughout the show. The installation acts as a confessional, providing for the free public release and interchange of feelings between cat people and dog people, hopefully mediating the hostile emotions that often exist between the two factions.
Except for the last three, each one of the people in the pictures below is a different person, although they are all wearing black shirts!
Chris Wildrick 