Monday, May 27, 2013

What a Hippopotamus Sounds Like

Let me reiterate

We too live in a universe everywhere strangely similar to the original-- here things are duplicated by their own scenario. But this double does not mean, as in folklore, the imminence of death-- they are already purged of death, and are even better than in life; more smiling, more authentic, in light of their model, like the faces in funeral parlors.

Manipulation by an authority or form of higher power than ourselves encourages false, yet positive interpretations of negative stimuli?


The Animals in There.
By clicking the above link you affirm that overstimulation of the temporal lobe in your brain will not be an issue. 
That indicates that the video is loud at times. 

This video follows a child's journey through Como Zoo in St. Paul, Minnesota. I captured his reaction to different sights and also the ambient noise of the zoo. He describes where he is, where the animals live (in the zoo and their natural environment), and what types of animals he sees.  He also spends time playing with some toys that are representative of animals. He set them up as if they were living amongst one another in harmony. (This may be due to his love for The Lion King, during which the animals of the Sahara, etc come together without conflict to see the presentation of a king lion's cub).  He indicated to me that they do not fight, but some of them eat each other.  

I added animals' noises found on YouTube.


Left photo: face meets glass; Right photo: face and glass part ways
These photos were taken at the Minnesota Zoo


Zoos. For many reasons some people reject their establishments. "Why do we cage them, they are meant to be free." "It is unnatural." Well, they are correct in stating that it is unnatural to keep animals confined. Of course we must also consider that being fed by humans for their entire lives may render it difficult to actually survive in 'the wild.' Many animals are group/herd-type animals and are confined to live with just a couple others of their kind. 

Children. How do they perceive zoos? Do they believe that the environments that are constructed for the animals in zoos are reflective of what a natural habitat looks like? Many enjoy being able to see them up close and in a safe environment. Some may ask similar questions such as 'Why are they in cages?' Zoos at a glance are targeted towards attracting and holding the attention of children. Couples and friends can be spotted walking around, but typically it's families looking through the glass and over the fences. 
Many staff are available to serve as informational resources for visitors. It is as if the guides convey information found in research conducted by scientists and use the animals in the enclosures as evidence. 
In the shark and fish tanks, feedings are able to be viewed. Why do they not have live shows in which the lioness tackles and eats a zebra? Some children are led to believe they are wild animals that may be tamed, not as pets, but definitely enough to live under the care of a human.  Why is the lion's indoor closure made of concrete embellished with hanging toys and large toy balls? What does the natural habitat of a lion look like? It certainly does not resemble the rolling plains of the Midwest

The real versus the simulated. 



You may also enjoy this video:

This video makes me particularly happy.

2 comments:

  1. This video is creepy (in a good way, of course). I like the way you use kids in your videos. You really show how the world would look through their eyes, which is strange to us adults. This is particularly helpful to me, who does not like children. It gives me a different perspective on the things that go on in their brains and makes me like them a little bit more. Also, your videos are always very well done and you clearly spend a lot of time perfecting them.

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  2. the zoo movie on its own has a certain jonas mekas (http://vimeo.com/2601707) charm, but the juxtaposition of zoo/war/childhood is powerful, especially when you question these things. it's the rare student video that i feel like re-watching over and over. even the sound seems correct. it could work installed in a gallery. (you likely did look at jonas, he shot the anon. spazzy footage of the E.P.I.}

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