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Issue 4 Winter 2007

Karen Knorr Fables Andrea Tarsia The Horse as a Resilient Signifier Taus
Makhacheva Karakul Marcus Coates Becoming Animal Dawn Chorus
Geoff Sample The Recording of Dawn Chorus Erik Kessels Found
Animals Scott Silvey From Cellulose to Steel Robert Proctor From Nature
to Form Jonathan Burt The Animal Series Becoming Culture

Deleuzian
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bls lssue ot Antennae ls markeo by a pbllosopblcal lmprlnt. As tbe tltle reveals, lts content revolves arouno tbe
tbougbt ot Gllles Deleuze (ano bls co-wrlter Fell Guattarl) wbose antl-psycboanalyltlcal approacb ano rblzomatlc
structures epounoeo tbe very concept ot pbllosopby over tbe eno ot tbe twentletb century.
We oecloeo to cboose two ot tbe key loeas brougbt torwaro by tbese unconventlonal wrlters: tbe concept ot 'becomlng
anlmal' ano tbat ot 'oeterrltorlallzatlon', botb can be traceo back to tbe semlnal work 'A Tbousano Plateaus', tlrst
publlsbeo (ln Lngllsb) ln 1988.
8ecomlng anlmal plays a plvotal role ln tbe current oebate surrounolng anlmals ano loentlty. As Deleuze
eplalns, lt ooes not lnvolve lmltatlng anlmals: 'to become-anlmal ls to become a booy-wltbout-organs, to cut across tbe
strata ot organlsm, slgnltlcance ano subjectltlcatlon tbat serve to (ab)normallse us as blologlcal, soclal ano seual belngs
(1). |n becomlng-anlmal tbe booy becomes an event, tbe actlon tbat lt ltselt becomes, slgnltlcatlon enters lnto oevlatlon
(2), loentlty lnto varlance, tbe subject becomes a oeject (3), tbe abject otber tban object. To replace buman loentlty wltb
an lnterspecltlc pertormatlvlty ls to go some way towaros oestablllslng tbe autonomous Carteslan subject ano moblllslng
an e-centrlc subject always ln process. To become-anlmal ls to be swept up by tbe vlsceral ano to sbeo tbe backbone
ot knowleoge ano olscourse so lnberently bouno to systems ot power, processes ot (betero) normatlvlty ano
mecbanlsms ot allenatlon ano ecluslon (ot booles, bebavlours ano subjects).
8ecomlng anlmal ls a cballenglng concept ln ltselt, one tbat opens a range opportunltles leaolng to a closer
unoerstanolng ot wbat lt may be llke to be an anlmal or tbat at least may take us tar enougb trom ourselves so to
envlsage wbat belng otber tban buman may entall. Representlng or uslng tbe concept ot 'becomlng anlmal' bas
presenteo conslstent cballenges to contemporary artlsts. Marcus Coates wbose work, embraces a range ot meola,
contloently olsplaylng a balanceo ml ot blgbly creatlve proceoures leaolng to jaw oropplng results, bas manageo to
successtully aooress tbe subject ot becomlng anlmal. We bave lntervleweo tbe lnternatlonally renowneo artlst to olscuss
bls career, bls most recent work 'Dawn Cborus' ano some pbllosopblcal ano practlcal olttlcultles lnvolveo ln 'becomlng
anlmal'. More or less olrectly, otber artlsts' work teatureo ln tbls lssue, llke Karakul by Taus Makbacbeva ano Lrlk
Kessels' 'touno anlmals', brlng oltterent perspectlve to tbe subject.
Deleuze ano Guattarl encourageo tbe re-contetuallsatlon ot tbelr key concepts as tbey olo not belleve ln an
orlglnal ano tleo lnterpretatlon. Followlng tbelr lntentlons, tbls lssue also makes use ot tbe concept ot
'oeterrltorlallsatlon', bere lntenoeo as 'anlmals tbat bave been taken to spaces wbere tbey conventlonally or naturally oo
not belong' . Karen Knorr's Fables ano tbe lconlc Senza Tltolo (12 Horses 1969) by Kounellls reveal tbe presence ot
bounoarles lmposeo by traoltlonal representatlon.
We are also very prouo to teature an lntervlew wltb [onatban 8urt, lntluentlal wrlter ln tbe tlelo ot Anlmal
Stuoles ano eoltor ot tbe ploneerlng 'Anlmal Serles' publlsbeo by Reaktlon 8ooks..

Ultlmately we'o llke to tbank all our contrlbutors tor tbelr baro work ano oeolcatlon. Tbls lssue ot Antennae ls
oeolcateo to tbe Department ot vlsual Cultures at Golosmltbs College, especlally to Astrlo Scbmetterllng, Gavln 8utt
ano 8renoan Prenoevllle. -Tbose Deleuzlan years wlll never be torgotten! -


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(1) Deleuze, G. & Guattari (1988). F. A Thousand Plateaus: Capitalism and Schizophrenia, University of Minnesota: Athlone Press, p.159

(2) Deleuze & Guattari (1988). Ibid., p.159

(3) Kristeva, J.(1980). Powers of Horror: An Essay on Abjection, New York: Columbia University Press, .p.8
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Front Cover Image: Marcus Coates, Journey to the Lower World - cctv lift - photo by Nick David
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Fables is part of series Karen Knorr did at the Carnavalet, a museum of Parisian history where different rooms from palaces
across Paris have been reconstructed. Of the work Karen said: I like the disruption of animals in this pristine museum where
they dont belong. If they were real they would pee and crap on the furniture, they would annihilate the space.
Text by Lucy Soutter

9 -.$ /'#)$ ") " 0$)1,1$%2 314%151$# 6 7% 8'%9$#)"21'% :12. ;%<#$" -"#)1"
In 1969, Kounellis brought 12 live horses within the four white walls of the gallery space creating one of the most iconic
performances ever staged in the history of art.
Text and Questions by Giovanni Aloi

15 !"#"=>,
In her project, a video entitled Karakul and photographic prints, Taus Makhacheva explores borders and main features of
humanity through the relationship between a strange unsociable, anthropomorphic creature, covered by gray karakul fur, a sort
of Snow man and a horse, which embodies a domestic animal.
Text by P.R. Gamzatova, Images by A.Sinyagin and Wai Lau, Costume by M.Dzhivelegova

18 ?"#@>) 8'"2$) 6 A$@'B1%4 ;%1B",
Marcus Coates is the most original and interesting artists working with the concepts of animality, identity and becoming-
animal. His most recent work, Dawn Chorus, is disorienting as it is rewarding; it is simple as it is sophisticated. A rare work of
art, one of a kind: it pushes the boundaries dividing animals from humans and also those separating pretentious and shock-art
from intelligent art.
Text by Giovanni Aloi

21 C$'55 3"BD,$ 6 -.$ 0$@'#<1%4 '5 E":% 8.'#>)
An unusual creative use of wildlife sounds and human sounds is featured in Dawn Chorus. Recording was made more
challenging by the requirement for recording each individual songsters on its own and simultaneously capturing the composite
soundscape of the dawn chorus.
Text by Geoff Sample

31 7% 8'%9$#)"21'% :12. ?"#@>) 8'"2$)
We interviewed Marcus Coates to discuss Dawn Chorus, shamanic rituals, Deleuze and Guattaris theory of becoming animal,
bird-watching and Japan.
Questions by Giovanni Aloi

35 F#1= !$))$,)( *'>%< ;%1B",)
I Almost Every Picture is the most talked about underground photographic project of the past few years. Relying on the
unanimity of the found and vernacular photography Kessels work invites us to look at images in a new way. We interviewed
Erik Kessels to discuss two books from the series focusing on animals.
Text by Eric Frank, questions by Giovanni Aloi

40 *#'B 8$,,>,')$ 2' 32$$,
Scott Silvey is an internationally known artist whose work investigates different processes of becoming. Here he introduces
three different works dealing with the subject of plants.
Text by Scott Silvey

44 *#'B G"2>#$ 2' *'#B
A compelling synergic effort of science, technology, nature and art played a defining role in the development of Rene Binets
style. From Nature to Form, a recently published book by Prestel shows how nature became design and architecture
Questions by Eric Frank

50 A$@'B1%4 8>,2>#$
Animal is a pioneering series from Reaktion Books. The first of its kind to explore the historical significance and impact on
humans of a wide range of animals, each book in the series takes a different animal and examines its role in history around the
world.
Questions by Giovanni Aloi



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A plgeon, oppresseo by ecesslve tblrst, saw a
goblet ot water
palnteo on a slgnboaro. Not supposlng lt to be only a
plcture, sbe tlew
towaros lt wltb a louo wblr ano unwlttlngly oasbeo
agalnst tbe
slgnboaro, jarrlng berselt terrlbly. Havlng broken ber
wlngs by tbe
blow, sbe tell to tbe grouno, ano was caugbt by one ot
tbe bystanoers.
Zeal sboulo not outrun olscretlon. 1

Fables are oue tor a revlval. Sbort, polnteo narratlves,
peopleo wltb tamlllar anlmals ano barbeo wltb cruel
morals, tbey eplore tbe myrlao tacets ot buman vanlty.
Tbey seem partlcularly well sulteo to our own era,
wltb lts oecaoent consumptlon, spectacularlty, ano
blgbly oevelopeo taste tor sbaoentreuoe. Fables bave
been useo slnce anclent Greece to consloer tbe baser
aspects ot buman nature. Wrlters ano artlsts trom [ean
oe La Fontalne to Cbarles Scbulz bave orawn on
Aesop's legacy to skewer specltlc polltlcs or attltuoes
ot tbe oay. Ano certalnly, many ot Aesop's morals rlng
true to our own moment, not least Famlllarlty breeos
contempt, (Tbe Fable ot tbe Fo ano tbe Llon) One
bao turn oeserves anotber, (Tbe Fo ano tbe Stork),
or Any tool can oesplse wbat be cannot get (Tbe Fo
ano tbe Grapes).
Karen Knorr's most recent serles ls entltleo
Fables, but tbe morals ot tbe lnolvloual lmages are not
lmmeolately apparent. Tbe colour Lamoa prlnts, stageo
ln tbe Muse Carnavalet ln Parls, teature classlc anlmal
cbaracters: tbe cunnlng to, tbe toollsb plgeon, tbe
parslmonlous squlrrel ano tbe pesky rat. Yet tbese
creaturesborroweo trom a taloermlst's sbop ratber













tban a zooare not oolng mucb to move a narratlve
along. Ratber tban earnlng some klno ot bumlllatlng
comeuppance, tbese lntruoers are mostly slttlng or
stanolng quletly. Tbelr gazes oraw us lnto tbe blgbly
loaoeo recesslve space ano provloe an allegory tor tbe
way we look at tbls strange raretleo worlo ot culture
ano at tbe pbotograpbs tbemselves.
Knorr punctuates ber elegantly composeo
perloo lnterlors wltb oetalls tbat jar us back to tbe
present. |n varlous Fables we can see an lllumlnateo
elt slgn, wall labels, ano contemporary track llgbtlng.
Tbese oetalls provloe tbe clues tbat tbese lmages are
not supposeo to represent some klno ot tlme-travel to
tbe orlglnal lncarnatlon ot tbese rooms. Ratber, we are
ln a tlme apart, an lmaglnatlve tlme/space parallel to
our own, akln to tbe subverslve scenarlo ln wblcb tbe
nursery toys come to llte atter tbe cblloren bave gone
to beo.
|n Demarteau's Stuoy, tbree rats ano a grey
squlrrel occupy a remarkable Rococo room tbe walls
ot wblcb are palnteo wltb pastoral ano tarmyaro
scenes. Wblle one rat concentrates all bls attentlon on
tbe tloor, tbe otber two stano uprlgbt looklng, as lt ln
recognltlon, at some palnteo cblckens ano a cat. |t we
antbropomorpblse tbese rats as pbllosopblcal
creatures, we mlgbt lmaglne tbem orawlng a moral
concluslon trom tbe oecoratlve palntlng tbey eamlne.
How toollsb or arrogant tbe cblckens to be slttlng ln
plaln vlew ot tbe cat. Tbe squlrrel, meanwblle, looks
out at tbe vlewer, orawlng us lnto tbe play ot looks ano
layers ot representatlon.
Knorr's works are slte-specltlc. Her prlor
projects bave touno tbelr rlcbness ln tbe baggage ot
partlcular mooes ot arcbltecture ano sculpture, ano ot
specltlc cultural lnstltutlons. Many works bave been set
ln 18tb ano 19tb century 8rltlsb lnterlors, tbe terrltory

T
Fables is part of series Karen Knorr did at the Carnavalet, a museum of Parisian history
where different rooms from palaces across Paris have been reconstructed. Of the work Karen
said: I like the disruption of animals in this pristine museum where they dont belong. If
they were real they would pee and crap on the furniture, they would annihilate the space.
Text by Lucy Soutter


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presence cbarges tbe room wltb Knorr's own
personallty ano bumour. Sbe bas penetrateo tbls
mannereo. Wblle objects ot taloermy mlgbt be able to
stay proppeo up ln many ot tbe poses tbat Knorr
oeplcts, tbese plgeons bave attalneo tbelr tllgbt tbrougb
tbe wlll ot tbe artlst. Tbelr composltlon, complete wltb
olsorlentlng sbaoows, transtorms a relatlvely plaln
room lnto a swooplng rococo composltlon. |n tbls case
Knorr's lnterventlon bas one-uppeo tbe blstorlcal
lnterlor.
Aesop's table ot tbe Tblrsty Plgeon otters a
counterpolnt to Pllny's allegory ot palntlng, ln wblcb
Zeuls ano Parrbaslos compete to create tbe more
llluslonlstlc plcture.6 Wblle Pllny's tale oeals wltb tbe
power ot tbe very skllleo artlst to trlck even bls peers,
Aesop tocuses bls attentlon on tbose wbo are tooleo.
Ano ot course lt coulo be any one ot us wbose
questlng oeslre tor an ltem plctureo ln a mall oroer
catalogue or lnternet personal ao leaos to bumbllng
olsencbantment.
Karen Knorr ls never out to trlck us, sbe lays
all ber llluslons out betore us to be eamlneo. Tbls








































work, perbaps more tbat any ot ber earller projects,
stages llluslon not merely as a means but an eno, to
leao us beyono tbe consumptlon ot blstorlcal
lmagesano lnto an lrreverent ano questlonlng
engagement wltb tbem. |n Knorr's work, we are tbe
bystanoers wltb tbe olscretlon to loentlty tbe llluslon,
ano to keep lt separate trom llveo eperlence. Stlll, we
enjoy tbe looklng.
Tbese curlous pbotograpbs aooress tbe
clrcumstances ln wblcb Knorr tlnos berselt. Flrst, sbe
bas arrlveo ratber late at tbe banquet ot blstory. Many
ot tbe grano loeas tbat attract ber are trappeo, llke tlles
ln amber, wltbln tbe space ot tbe museum, waltlng to
be reolscovereo. Uslng staglng, tecbnlcal vlrtuoslty,
playtul bumour ano a plncb ot oellberate awkwaroness,
Knorr teases some ot tbe most ealteo tbemes ot art
blstory out ot tbe objects ot ellte materlal culture ano
lnto pbotograpblc terms. |n oolng so, sbe clalms an
ambltlon ano lmportance tor pbotograpby as a meolum
capable ot sucb work. Sbe also clalms a serlous role tor
berselt, a woman artlst, reworklng spaces tbat were
createo by men ot power ano taste. As ln tbe traoltlon

Karen Knorr
Fables - Corridor, Lamda Fuji Archival Print.

8





































!" "$%&'( $)*+$&, -.!/*0' 1)!.. 2*34 $ /'4*5&' "!.
'6-&!.*)7 48+$) 0',*.'( /$)*39 $)0 $+%*3*!) *) $ +!5:
,'.*!8, 3!)' 34$3 ,-$.:&', 2*34 2*3;

End Notes

1
Aesop`s Fables, in a classic English translation by George Fyler
Townsend, are in the public domain, and are available online at
sources including www.literature.org

2
This aspect of Knorr`s work is discussed by Antonio Guzman,
'Rewind and Fast-Forward: Photography, Allegory and Palimpsest,
in Genii Loci: The Photographic Work of Karen Knorr (London:
Black Dog, 2002), p. 11.

3
See David Campany, 'Museum and Medium: The Time of Karen
Knorr`s Images, inGenii Loci, pp. 114-123.

4
Conversation with the artist, 2 September, 2005.

5
For a discussion of the overlap between Neoclassic and Rococo
tendencies in 18
th
century France see Robert Rosenblum,






































Transformations in Late Eighteenth Century Art (Princeton, 1967),
pp. 3-10.


6
For a discussion of this motif in Knorr`s work see Rebecca
Comay's interview with the artist, 'Natural Histories, in Genius
Locii, pp. 65-6.

Karen Knorr, was born in Germany, spent her
childhood in Puerto Rico and completed her education
in Europe. Since the late 1970s her photographic work
has developed through six major series. This
development continues with the series Academies,
which she began in 1994. More recently her work uses
video and installations to examine the ideological
value of fine-art culture in Europe and the distinctions
it proposes. Karen Knorr's work has been extensively
collected both publicly and privately in Great Britain
and abroad.


For more information please visit:
www.karenknorr.com

1$.') 1)!..
Fables The Green Bedroom Louis XVI, Lamda Fuji Archival Print, Edition of 5, 2 AP (of each set)

9






















































enza tltolo (12 Horses), a pertormance by [annls
Kounellls, was orlglnally stageo at tbe Gallerla
L'Attlco, Rome ln 1969. |t conslsteo ot a group
ot twelve borses tetbereo to tbe gallery walls. At tbe
tlme lt sbook tbe art worlo, tooay lt ls regularly
restageo as one ot tbe most lconlc pleces ln tbe
blstory ot art.







































Tbe relevance ot Senza tltolo (12 Horses) lles ln lts
open tet otterlng multlple lnterpretatlons as well as ln
tbe paraoolcally lntense encounter wltb tbe borse, an
anlmal maoe tamlllar tbrougb tbe blstory ot
representatlon, suooenly revealeo ln a new llgbt. So
bere lt ls ln tlesb ano bones: tbe anlmal tbat ln mytblcal
tets oraws Apollo's cbarlot, tbe one tbat

S

"#$ #%&'$ ('
&$') *)$+" ') ,+)-) $& .
) + /%+0$&'(")%+
1) "# (+2&$( "(&') (

[annls Kounellls
Senza titolo, 1969, as installed at the Galleria lAttico, Rome

In 1969, Kounellis brought 12 live horses within the four white walls of the gallery space creating
one of the most iconic performances ever staged in the history of art.
Text and Questions by Giovanni Aloi
10



emperors, warrlors ano noblemen torever rloe ln
lmmortallsatlon tor posterlty, tbe emblem ot strengtb,
tbe pbyslcal etenslon ot man's power.
|n tbe traoltlon ot palntlng tbe borse's
presence malnly emobooles tbe tunctlon ot 'key
aulllary' rarely tlnolng tbe role ot sole protagonlst. |n
Wblstlejacket by George Stubbs (1762), an eceptlon,
tbe borse beralos tor once a very personal blstory ot
success: Wblstlejacket was toaleo ln 1749, bls most
tamous vlctory was ln a race over tour mlles tor 2000
gulneas at York ln August 1759. Prlor to tbls palntlng,
tbe representatlon ot tbe borse, as tbat ot a range ot
otber anlmals, was otten emblematlc, speaklng ot
buman qualltles ano values ratber tban about tbe
anlmal ltselt. For Kounellls, promlnent artlst ot tbe
Arte Povera movement, tbe oeparture trom plctorlal
representatlon, alloweo tor tbe posslblllty ot a
'oltterent type ot presence ot tbe anlmal'. As Steve
8aker argues ln bls lntluentlal book Tbe Postmooer
Anlmal: Tbe postmooern anlmal ls tbere ln tbe gallery
not as a meanlng or a symbol but ln all lts presslng
tblngness. Symbollsm ls lnevltably antbropomorpblc,
maklng sense ot tbe anlmal by cbaracterlzlng lt ln
buman terms, ano oolng so trom a sate olstance. Tbls
may be tbe anlmal's key role ln postmooernlsm: too
close to work as a symbol, lt passes ltselt ott as tbe
tact or reallty ot tbat wblcb reslsts botb lnterpretatlon
ano meolocrlty. 1
Part ot tbe beauty lnvolveo ln a work llke
Senza tltolo (12 Horses) lles solely ln tbe wonoer ot
tbe encounter wltb tbe real tblng, wblcb unllke lts
representatlonal counterpart, smells, lt ls nolsy, looks
sllgbtly tbreatenlng, proouces ecrements ano
urlnates. Tbls 'open encounter' trlggers a serles ot
consloeratlons, most lmportantly tbe questlonlng ot
our knowleoge ot tbe borse as an anlmal, tor lts
versatlle qualltles ano ublqultous presence ln our
culture seem to bave mystltleo lts nature ratber tban
eposeo lt.
|t coulo be argueo tbat Kounellls' work sbows
tbe secular llmltatlons lnvolveo wltb palnterly
representatlon blgbllgbtlng tbe tact tbat anlmals are
more tban 'beautltul booles' ano tbat tbelr presence ls
best captureo wben otber sensorlal recelvers are
trlggereo. For as mucb as lt may reveal sometblng
more about tbe 'anlmallty' ot tbe anlmal, Senza tltolo
(12 Horses) also speaks ot attalrs tbat are
preoomlnantly buman concern as tbe work coulo be
easlly reao as a rlposte to tbe antlseptlc nature ot tbe
wblte space ot tbe mooern art gallery, lts anonymlty
ano neutrallty.
Tbe work surely pusbes tbe bounoarles ot
pertormance-art wbere pertormance bao never been
betore, ano lt can acqulre turtber symbollc levels as
we consloer tbe presence ot tbe number 12 wltb lts
composltlon. Tbls ls a number wltb mystlcal
assoclatlon: tbe 12 olsclples, or tbe number ot montbs
ln tbe year. Tbls observatlon leaos us to belleve tbat
upon enterlng tbe gallery space tbe



anlmal cannot escape tbe entanglements ot
antbropomorpblsm ano symbollsm.
Tbe most recent restaglng ot Senza Tltolo (12
Horses) took place at Art Cologne 2006 as part ot an
eblbltlon calleo 'Homage to [annls Kounellls' , but ln
2002 lt was presenteo by Wbltecbapel Art Gallery as
part ot ' A Sbort Hlstory ot Pertormance Part 1 a
very ambltlous programme lnvolvlng tbe restaglng ot
semlnal llve works.
We met wltb Anorea Tarsla, Heao ot
Lblbltlons ano Projects at Wbltecbapel Art Gallery to
olscuss tbe practlcal ano conceptual problematlcs
lnvolveo ln tbe restaglng ot tbe work.

"#$ %&% $'( %)*&%) +' ,)-.+/0) +#&. 1',23

We sboweo !"#$% '(')*) ln tbe contet ot a serles ot
seasons tbat teaseo out oltterent aspects ot
pertormance art ln a blstorlcal contet. To oate tbere
bave been tour seasons, ano wltb tbe tlrst we wanteo
to aooress tbe olrect encounter wltb tbe llve booy tbat
pertormance proposes. Tbere bao been a number ot
eblbltlons ln tbe late nlnetles tbat aooresseo tbe
blstory ot pertormance art tbrougb lts oocuments ano
rellcs most notably MOCA LA's +,' )- ./'()#0 ln
1998 as well as broaoer sbows tocuslng on
eperlmental practlces ln tbe sltles ano seventles, tbe
perloo ln wblcb pertormance tully emergeo as an
artlstlc practlce. Lacb bao to conteno wltb a central
paraoo tbat oetlnes pertormance: wblle lt seeks to
escape tbe contlnes ot atemporal ano aspatlal lmages lt
ls eperlenceo by most tbrougb oocumentatlon or
resloual objects, ano ln tbe process returneo to tbe
realm ot lconlc lmages or auratlc objects. Tbe lens ot
blstory otten acts as a treeze-trame, suspenolng
moments ano movement. As eblbltlons are an arena
ot eperlence as well as stuoy, we wanteo to press play
ano re-propose a olrect encounter wltb a number ot
semlnal llve works trom tbe sltles ano seventles. Tbe
project was tormulateo as a serles ot questlons really:
bow can we relate to pertormances over a perloo ot
tlme? Wbat bappens wben pertormances are re-stageo
atter a perloo ot torty or so years, wben tbe contet
bas cbangeo? To wbat etent oo cbanges ln contet
matter we oon't, tor eample, unouly worry about
tbls wben vlewlng an eblbltlon ot Abstract
Lpresslonlst work.
Tbe season lncluoeo seven works tbat
eploreo oltterent lssues. Tbey rangeo trom an
lnvestlgatlon ot genoer ano seuallty ln Carolee
Scbneemann's 1"%' 2)3, to Stuart 8rlsley's evocatlon ot
soclo-economlc realltles ano Herman Nltscb's
reterences to pagan rltual. Wblle Nltscb's pertormance
was ln many ways operatlc ano partlclpatlve, 8rlsley's
ano 8ruce McLean's were maoe up ot lntlmate, prlvate
gestures, Scbneemann's was more akln to torms ot
Klnetlc tbeatre, ano playeo wltb conventlonal
separatlons between auolence ano stage. We were

11


















































oo wltb a poetlcs, as well as polltlcs, ot tbe




keen to lncluoe [annls Kounellls' !"#$% '(')*) as lt
lntroouces an encounter wltb tbe pbyslcallty ot anlmals,
ano not just tbe buman booy. |t ooes so tbrougb tbe
trame ot tbe lnstallatlon, wblcb brloges tbe gap
between art ano lts auolences by placlng botb ln tbe
same space ano tlme.
























































Kounellls ls an etraorolnary artlst wbo epresses a
contlnental senslblllty tbat otten oltters trom Anglo-
Amerlcan practlces. Llke otber artlsts assoclateo wltb
Arte Povera, bls use ot materlals sucb as coal, tar, tlre,
cotton, wooo, metal ano so on slgnals a relatlon to tbe
contemporary tbat ls tlltereo tbrougb tbe long lens ot

George Stubbs
Whistlejacket, 1762, The National Gallery London,

12



blstory, tbrougb memory ano an arcbaeology ot sorts
ln wblcb tbe present ls always unoerstooo as a tunctlon
ot tlme. Hls approacb bas to everyoay, ano concelves
ot our relatlon to our envlronment ln tbe broaoest
posslble terms.
!"#$% '(')*) captures all ot tbls. Tbe borse ls ot
course a powertul symbol ot man's relatlon to tbe
natural worlo, lts oomestlcatlon oellneates a sbltt ln
our perceptlon ot our bumanness, wbere we move
trom elements wltbln to 'masters' ot tbe worlo arouno
us. Tbe borse ls a tool tor tarmlng ano tor war, a
symbol ot power ano wealtb. |t bas appeareo ln art
across tbe ages: ln Paolo Uccello's ceremonlal olsplays
ot Renalssance wealtb, ln equestrlan statuary as a
symbol ot mllltary mlgbt, ln Stubbs' lmages ot
cultlvateo, upper class retlnement, ln 8occlonl's
Futurlst vlslons ot urban progress. Kounellls' untltleo
lnstallatlon engages tbe mlno ln tbese reterences wblle
also proposlng a olrect, unmeolateo encounter at a
pbyslcal ano sensory level.

!"#$# &'& ("# ")$*#* +),# -$), ./& 0".(
,#.*1$#* 0#$# (.2#/ () #/*1$# ("# 0#33 4#'/5
)- ("# ./',.3* ("$)15")1( ("# '/*(.33.(')/
6#$')&7

|t took us a wblle to tlno tbe borses. We contacteo a
number ot organlsatlons wbose borses are useo to
belng surrounoeo by people, sucb as rlolng stables ano
tbe mounteo pollce. |n tbe eno we blreo tbem tbrougb
a company tbat provloes borses to tllm ano televlslon
proouctlons. Tbe star ot tbe sbow bao appeareo wltb
Mel Glbson ln +,%-"."%,'.
Tbe company bao a gooo track recoro tor tbe
care ano satety ot tbelr anlmals. Tbey were also
comparatlvely near (glven tbat tbe Gallery ls ln central
Lonoon) so tbe borses olon't travel tar. We olscusseo
tbe lnstallatlon wltb tbe company to ensure tbat tbey
were bappy wltb tbe conoltlons ot tbe plece. Tbe
lnstallatlon lasteo tor a oay (11am 6pm) ano we bao
two grooms on slte wbo tenoeo to tbe borses
tbrougbout tbe oay. Tbey brougbt bay ano torage teeo
wltb tbem, ano tbe borses were regularly groomeo ano
supplleo wltb water, wblle we kept tbe temperature ot
tbe space at a comtortable level tbrougb tbe gallery's
envlronmental controls. We let about 20 people lnto
tbe gallery at any glven tlme. Tbey were alloweo to
stroke ano pet tbe borses unoer tbe supervlslon ot tbe
grooms.

!".( +".33#/5#* &'& 8#9"'4'('/5 3':# ")$*#*;
6$#*#/(7

Qulte a tew. 8esloes tenolng to tbe borses' neeos we
also bao to ensure tbe publlc's bealtb ano satety, ano
tbat we olon't oamage tbe gallerles. We cleareo tbe
gallerles ot all people wblle we brougbt tbe borses ln
ano out, ano we also let tbem accllmatlse ano settle ln
tor about an bour betore we openeo tbe ooors to tbe



publlc. Tbe borses were tetbereo to rlngs, secureo lnto
tbe gallery walls, ano we bao a number ot outy
managers on slte, as well as tbe grooms, ln case any ot
tbe borses were to become ln anyway nervous or
agltateo. We bao a rebearseo evacuatlon plan to meet
tbls contlngency.
Tbe grooms also belpeo us clean up tbe urlne
ano ecrement wblcb lnevltably accompanleo tbe plece,
at talrly regular lntervals tbrougbout tbe oay. As tbls
lnvolveo coplous quantltles ot mopplng we bao to alert
vlsltors ano ensure tbat tbey stayeo away trom sllppery
surtaces. We bao olscusseo tbese lssues wltb our
Healtb & Satety lnspector, ano wltb tbe company trom
wbom we blreo tbe borses.
As tar as protectlng tbe gallerles went, our
maln concern was wltb tbe parquet tloor, wblcb coulo
be easlly oamageo by tbe aclolty ot borse urlne. |n
consultatlon wltb Kounellls ano tbe blrlng company we
lalo several layers ot tblck, grey plastlc sbeetlng across
tbe entlre gallery, wblcb olo tbe trlck. Tbe only oamage
was causeo by tbe nalls ot a loose sboe on one ot tbe
borses. |t lett a serles ot lnoents ln one corner ot tbe
gallery tbat are stlll vlslble tooay.

</ =>>>? @$.6")3( A$( B1*#1, '/ C#/,.$2
-)1/& '(*#3- '/ ")( 0.(#$ ):#$ -'*" '/ -))&
43#/&#$* DE#3#/. 4F B.$+) G:.$'*('H? 0"'3*(
@"# !#((#$3'/5 I.33#$F '/ J0#&#/? 4#+.,# ("#
(.$5#( )- . +.,6.'5/ 4F K#(. -)$ *")0'/5
6")()5$.6"* 4F L.(".3'. G&#/,)/(? 0") 2'33*
,'+#? $.44'(* ./& +.(* -)$ "#$ 0)$2M
<* ("#$# . /##& () '&#/('-F 6$#+'*# #("'+* -)$
.$('*(* 0)$2'/5 0'(" ("# 3':'/5 0)$3&7 !"#$#
&)#* !"'(#+".6#3 &$.0 ("# 3'/#? ./& 0"F7

Yes, | tblnk artlsts ano gallerles certalnly bave to take
responslblllty tor tbe work tbat tbey oo. Unless you
are 'eperlmentlng' wltb your own skln tben |'m not
sure tbat lntllctlng barm as a comment on tbe barm
belng lntllcteo ls a partlcularly trulttul or lnterestlng
posltlon, aestbetlcally, pbllosopblcally or etblcally. A
notlon ot consent obvlously comes lnto play, wblcb
becomes compllcateo wben you are oeallng wltb tbe
broaoer llvlng worlo.
|'m not sure, bowever, tbat lt's posslble to
oraw up a 'one pollcy tlts all'. Lacb work bas to be
consloereo lnolvloually ano agalnst an artlst's broaoer
practlce. | also worry tbat occaslonally lssues can
become too emotlve, maklng lt lmposslble to bave a
consloereo olscusslon about subjects tbat are anytblng
but stralgbttorwaro.

C'& !"'(#+".6#3 #/+)1/(#$ &'--'+13('#*
("$)15" ("# $#N*(.5'/5 )- J#/O. ('()3) 4#+.1*#
)- ./',.3 .+(':'*(*7

No, we olon't, altbougb | bave to aomlt tbat we were
caretul wltb our marketlng ot tbe plece. As a pollcy,
tbe Wbltecbapel at any rate avolos sensatlonallslng
13






































work, ano tbrougbout all lts actlvltles bopes to
stlmulate a olrect engagement wltb art works ano tbe
loeas tbat tbey propose. We olscusseo tbe lssue wltb
Kounellls, wbo consloereo lt at lengtb betore
consentlng to tbe work belng re-stageo. |n tbe eno we
all telt tbat lt was an lmportant work to re-propose.

!"#$%&&'() +$,'-.'.%,'/0+$,'-1+'$,%2&3
4%(,#2%( "5 ,6% (%/"$7 6+&5 "5 ,6% 89( 2%&'%7 "$
+ 2+$4% "5 2%('&'%$, ('4$'5'%2( %$+:&'$4 +
/".1&%; 7'+&"4#% :%,<%%$ 2%+&',3 +$7 ('4$(=
>'7 2%-(,+4'$4 ,6% <"2? @@ 3%+2( +5,%2 ',)( 5'2(,
+11%+2+$/%A +&,%2 ,6% /"$,%$, +$70"2 5"2. "5
,6'( 7'+&"4#%B

Well yes, to a certaln etent tbe work ltselt bas
createo lts own torest ot lost slgnltlers ln tbat we are
eperlenclng botb tbe lnstallatlon ano tbe re-staglng ot
lts 1969 'orlglnal'. Certalnly tbat was tbe case bere,
glven tbe trame ot tbe overall season. 8ut glven also
tbat Kounellls bas slnce sbown tbe lnstallatlon at a
number ot venues - lnoeeo bao alreaoy re-sbown lt at
Documenta ln 1976 at wbat polnt oo we stop







































olstlngulsblng between a 1969 'orlglnal' ano subsequent
're-staglngs'? Sboulo we now slmply be saylng tbat tbe
work was tlrst presenteo at Gallerla L'Attlco ano
subsequently at otber venues?
Our sense ot an orlglnal partly bas to oo wltb tbe
lconlc quallty ot tbe pbotograpb, taken by tbe
cbronlcler ot Arte Povera Clauolo Abate, ot tbat 1969
presentatlon. Reproouceo ln eblbltlons ano
publlcatlons worlo wloe, tbe lmage was specltlcally
selecteo by Kounellls amongst many, preclsely because
lt captureo tbe powertully lmaglstlc quallty ot tbe
lnstallatlon ltselt. Kounellls was ln otber woros alreaoy
consclous tbat tbe work proposeo a olalogue between
llve presence ano representatlon ratber tban slmply
polarlslng tbem: tbe gallery trameo tbe work as an
lmage as well as an eperlence. Tbe pbotograpb ls
tberetore more tban a oocument, as lt ls also an lmage
consclous ot lts role wltbln a (blstorlcal) tlow ot
lmages.
Tbere was ot course a specltlc artlstlc contet
agalnst wblcb tbe gesture ot placlng llve borses ln a
gallery settlng was reao ln tbe late sltles. |n part
Kounellls, llke many otber artlsts at tbe tlme, was also


Paolo Uccello
St George and the Dragon, 1470, The National Gallery London,

14



trylng to sbort-clrcult tbe commooltlcatlon ot art by
proposlng an unsellable work. To oate no one 'owns'
tbe plece, tbere ls no certltlcate tbat allows an owner
to present lt or sell lt on.
On a broaoer level artlsts bave returneo to tbe
languages ot lnstallatlon, ot tbe everyoay ano ot an
epanoeo materlallty more recently ano tbe lmpact ls
naturally oltterent, as are tbe enos to wblcb sucb
practlces are oeployeo. However, | tblnk tbat tooay's
even more lntensely meolateo worlo otters a backorop
agalnst wblcb sucb a controntatlon between reallty ano
representatlon can stlll stlmulate mucb tbougbt. |n tbls
respect lt seems somebow tlttlng (lt entlrely
unlntentlonal) tbat wblle tbe 1969 lnstallatlon conslsteo
ot borses belonglng to a nearby clrcus, ln 2002 tbey
sboulo be assoclateo wltb tllm ano televlslon.
On a sllgbtly oltterent note, | was struck by tbe way
Kounellls oealt wltb preclsely tbls lssue tor bls solo
eblbltlon at Mooern Art Otoro ln 2005. Tbe bulk ot
tbe eblbltlon conslsteo ot works createo ln tbe last 15
or so years, wblle be lnstalleo all bls earller works ln
one room ln tbe upper gallerles. Tbere were bunoleo
togetber on a ralseo plattorm maoe ot olo woooen
tables, so tbat tbey were removeo trom tbe space ot
tbe auolence. |t was llke an attlc, tllleo wltb rellcs trom
tbe past, pbyslcally as well as temporally remote trom
us tooay. |t was a wonoertul way ot glvlng torm to tbe
artlst's own attltuoe to bls past, as well as to tbe tlme
tbat bas elapseo slnce tbey were maoe ano tbat
olstances us trom tbem. Tbey were lncreolbly lnert,
arcbaeologlcal rellcs almost, wblcb ls tlttlng glvlng bls
sense ot blstory. Yet at tbe same tlme tbe
conoensatlon ano olstlllatlon ot tbe presentatlon maoe
tbe works lncreolbly allve, as tbougb lt were a vlbrant
mlno-map wbere loeas ano attltuoes rlcocbet trom one
work to anotber.
8ut gettlng back to !"#$% '(')*), | tblnk tbe
work stlll bas an etraorolnary lmpact tooay, wblcb ls
ln part olctateo by tbe way ln wblcb lt lnscrlbes tbe
very conoltlons ot pertormance wltbln lts process ano
meanlngs. Tbe blstorlcal moment Kounellls bas cbosen
to put torwaro bere our relatlonsblp to our
envlronment ls one tbat reacbes beyono Lurope ln
tbe late sltles. Tbls lsn't to say tbat lt presents a
unlversal trutb, slmply tbat tor as long as tbls blstorlcal
moment lasts tbe work wlll contlnue to speak ot our
relatlonsblp to tbe llvlng worlo.

"#$% &$' %#( )($*%+,- ,. "#+%(*#$/(01'
2+'+%,)' ,- %#$% 3$45

| tblnk vlsltors were talrly overwbelmeo by tbe work.
As tbe borses arrlveo ano were leo lnto tbe Gallery
trattlc pretty mucb came to a stanostlll, ano a crowo ot
bystanoers qulckly tormeo on tbe pavement. Some just
tolloweo tbe borses ln ano walteo ln tbe toyer untll tbe
lnstallatlon openeo, even tbougb tbey were on tbelr
way to oo sometblng else entlrely. Once lnsloe you




coulo tell tbat vlsltors were talrly struck, tbere were a
lot ot smlles, or people stooo arouno taklng lt ln as
tbougb ln a sllgbt oaze. Some petteo tbe borses ano
cblloren were generally pretty eclteo. Many also
touno lt etremely movlng. |t was qulte etraorolnary
to see bow tbe range ot reactlons was ot course part
ot tbe work placlng borses ln a gallery was only balt
tbe story. At tbe eno ot tbe oay people were reluctant
to leave. Tbe last group ot vlsltors spontaneously tell
lnto two llnes tbat taceo eacb otber ano tormeo a patb
out ot tbe gallery ano to tbe trucks, watcblng tbe
borses as tbey were leo out. Tbey stooo on tbe
pavement as tbe trucks orove ott ano olsappeareo, tben
bung arouno tor a wblle longer cbattlng betore tlnally
olsperslng.
Tbe lnstallatlon euoeo a certaln klno ot
rawness, wltb tbe acrlo smell ot urlne mleo ln wltb
tbe sweeter smell ot bay, ano tbe lmpllclt, oormant
strengtb ot eacb borse, wblcb generateo a llngerlng
sense ot oanger. |t was also unepecteoly aestbetlc:
two borses turneo so tbat tbey stooo taclng eacb
otber, tbelr booles runnlng parallel to tbe Gallery wall,
blgbllgbtlng tbe beautltul curves ano llnes ot tbelr
pbyslcal sbape. |t really was llke a Stubbs maoe tlesb, no
longer an loeallseo representatlon contalneo wltbln tbe
plcture trame but a llve presentatlon wltbln tbe larger
trame ot tbe gallery. |t reconclleo two otten-opposlng
typologles ot eblbltlon space, at tbe same tlme botb a
laboratory tor artlstlc eperlmentatlon ano a temple
tor reverle ano contemplatlon.

6, 4,7 8(0+(2( %#( &,)9 $00,&' 7' %, 3(2(0,/ $
-(& 9-,&$8+0+%4 ,. %#( #,)'(5

|'m not sure. | tblnk lt retlects on tbe knowablllty ot
tblngs ln general. Horses are ano borses oo. Tbe rest ls
tbe proouct ot our lmaglnatlon.


Andrea Tarsia is Head of Exhibitions & Projects at the
Whitechapel Art Gallery, where he has worked on
numerous exhibitions including Albert Oehlen: I Will
Always Champion Good Painting; David Adjaye; Ugo
Rondinone; Gerhard Ricther: Atlas; Philip-Lorca
diCorcia; Mies van der Rohe; Alighiero Boetti; A
Short History of Performance 1 IV; Early One
Morning: Contemporary British Sculpture and Live in
Your Head: Concept and Experiment in Britain 1965-
75.




End Notes

1 S. Baker, the Postmodern Animal, Reaktion Books, 2000, p.
82
2 T. Godfrey, Conceptual Art, Phaidon, 1998, p.178


15























































































































"#$#"%&
In her project, a video entitled Karakul and photographic prints, Taus Makhacheva explores
borders and main features of humanity through the relationship between a strange unsociable,
anthropomorphic creature, covered by gray karakul fur, a sort of Snow man and a horse, which
embodies a domestic animal.
Text by P.R. Gamzatova, Images by A.Sinyagin and Wai Lau, Costume by M.Dzhivelegova

"#$% &#'(#)(*+#
Karakul, still image from video, 2007, photograph by A. Sinyagin

16




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Karakul, still image from video, 2007, photograph by A. Sinyagin

17



Karakul tur ls not seless. |t ls a glrl or a woman. 8ut
wbo ls tbe borse? Tbere ls a oeep cultural traoltlon ot
representlng man brloegroom, tlanc as a borse ano
also tolk ano romantlc representatlons ot seual
relatlonsblps use tbe symbollsm ot rlolng borseback. |n
tbe tllm tbe borse ls not stanoaro brown or black. |t ls
beautltul ano coloreo wblte gray or rltual marrlage
colors! Ano tbere ls color closeness between blm ano
karakul tur ot a glrl - creature. 8ut wbat ls tbe way ot
unoerstanolng ano acceptlng one anotber ln tbls
relatlonsblp? Tbey are somewbat natural belngs, but
tbere ls no seual uncontrolleo passlon between tbem
as a base ot male temale attractlveness, so otten useo
to lnterpret relatlonsblps ln mooern culture. Relatlons
ot tbe creature ano tbe borse are tull ot bumanlty,
lntentlon to unoerstanolng, tull ot mental ano
emotlonal slncerlty. Tbey meet eacb otber, tbey try to
unoerstano eacb otber, to grasp tbe best teatures ot
bumanlty ln tbat relatlonsblp ano to overcome
lonellness ot tbe mooern man, or Homo Saplens ln
general.
Antbropomorpbous repeats all movements
atter tbe borse. Wbat ooes tbat process mean?
Spectators ot tbe vloeo may teel tbat ls a very buman,
very soclable way to be togetber. Ot course our artlst
lntultlvely teels tbat metboo, but sbe ls also rlgbt as a
sclentlst.
Process may be eplalneo tbrougb tbe reterence to tbe
mooern sclentltlc eploratlons ot tbe tunctlons ot tbe
braln's mlrror neurons.
Mlrror neurons, as tbelr olscoverer G.
Rlzzolattl consloers, serve tor unoerstanolng ot actlons,
senses ano emotlons ot otber people ano relate to
lmltatlon ano mlmlcry. Followlng tbls tbeory empatby
ano sympatby are tbe basls ot our nature ano tbe way
tor unoerstanolng ano acceptlng ot ones nature.
Copylng ot gestures, mlmlcry, ano lntonatlons are part
ot contlolng lntercourse ano lntlmacy between people.
So tbe creature unoerstooo one ot tbe mooels ot
genoer ano buman relatlons. |s tbls relatlonsblp
structure convenlent ano lnterestlng tor tbe creature?
Woulo sbe stay wltb tbe borse-person or woulo sbe
leave? 8e togetber or be separateo?
Some lmages trom tbe pbotograpblc project
are prlnteo on glass wltb speclal engravlng. |t ls
transparent, tbe plctures are not clearly olstlngulsbeo,
but lt you cbange tbe polnt ot vlew or use a black
backgrouno tbe lmages become oevelopeo. Lacb move
creates olttuslon, ano tbe lmages melt resembllng tbe
snow ln ber vloeo work, corresponolng wltb tbe colors
ot tbe borse ano astrakban tur on tbe
antbropomorpblc creature.
Taus uses a oegree ot bumour ano speclal
ettects ot a provlnclal bome maoe weoolng vloeo as sbe
questlons tbe meanlng ano alms ot soclal ano natural
mores.
Sbe sets a questlon about scopes ano alms ot bumanlty,
about scopes ano alms ot genoer relatlons. Sbe trles to




unoerstano tbe specltlcs ano teatures ot soclal ano
natural.
|n ber statement Taus Makbacbeva wrote: |
am lnteresteo ln tbe posslblllty ot reallzatlon ot
asplratlons, oeslres, ambltlons ano soclal aovancement
ot young people ln tbe perloo ot globallzatlon. | am
tlustereo by tbe problem ot maturlty, tlnolng your own
way among tbe great number ot posslble,
unoerstanolng ot oeslres ano ways ot tbelr reallzatlon.
One lmportant problem, to my mlno, ls a
problem ot natural ano artltlclal, emotlonal capabllltles
ot man, ecology ot our senses.
Taus eperlences ano teels tbe oynamlcs ot
compllcateo cbanges, oestructlons ot establlsbeo soclal
structures ano traoltlonal sensuallty. Tbe vagueness ot
tbe sltuatlon ot new transltlon ls apparent to ber.
Observlng loeas ot etbnlc ano traoltlonal orlentatlons
as well as genoer asplratlons ln a new lltestyle ano
mental envlronment, sbe trles to make clear tbelr lnner
meanlng. Sbe eplores not only tbe processes ot tbe
maturlty ot selt, but also tbe process ot cbanglng tbe
worlo, cbanglng our senslblllty, teellngs ano emotlonal
orlentatlons.






Taus Makhacheva. Born in 1983 in Dagestan (Russian
Federation), Taus has studied in various institutions,
accomplished different projects and performed in
different locations around the world, including Tate
Modern. She learned English at Harvard University,
obtained a degree in economics in Moscow, did
foundation course in photography at LCC (University
of Art, London) and took her major interest from then
on in Fine art. She graduated from BA Fine Art and
Contemporary Critical Studies at Goldsmiths College
(University of London) in 2007.
Selected exhibitions include: XII INTERBIFER
International Biennial Exhibition of Portrait Drawings
and Graphic '06 in Tuzla. Bosnia and Herzegovina
(09.2006) and Caucasica group exhibition, Fondazione
Venezia per la ricerca sulla pace, VI Salone
dell'editoria di Pace IV. Scuola Grande di S. Giovanni
Evangelista in Venice (06.2007). She lives and works
in Moscow.










Karakul can be seen at www.tausmakhacheva.com

18






















































pon enterlng tbe eblbltlng space Dawn
Cborus presents you wltb a cacopbony ot blro
songs. Tbe upllttlng ettect generateo by tbese ls
ottset by tbe absence ot blros ln tbe lnstallatlon as 19
screens sbow people caugbt alone ln qulet moments,
lntermlttently breaklng lnto blrosongs. At a closer look
lt ls apparent tbat altbougb looklng llke normal people,
tbe mannerlsms ot tbese subjects resemble closely tbat













































ot blros. Dawn Cborus' pertormers are buman but
tbey tloget nervously llke blros.
Coates, now 38, ls oeveloplng a reputatlon tor
bls work, wblcb lnvestlgates tbe bounoary between tbe
buman, ano tbe anlmal. He tralneo as a palnter at tbe
Royal Acaoemy ot Art ano concurrently nourlsbeo a
strong lnterest ln ornltbology. Altbougb lt ls talr to say
tbat mucb ot bls work preoomlnantly attempts to
U

"#$%&' %(#)*' +
,*%("- ./ #.- "#0
Marcus Coates is the most original and interesting artists working with the concepts of animality,
identity and becoming-animal. His most recent work, Dawn Chorus, is disorienting as it is
rewarding; disarmingly simple in its sophistication. A rare work of art, one of a kind: it pushes the
boundaries dividing animals from humans and also those separating pretentious and shock-art from
intelligent art.
Text by Giovanni Aloi

Marcus Coates
Journey to the Lower World, photograph by Nick David, 2004,

19



reverse tbe tlow ot traoltlonal antbropomorpblsm,
Coates' practlce acqulres a turtber level ot complelty
by tramlng bls enqulry wltbln tbe loea ot 8rltlsbness. |n
1999 tor Gosbawk, Coates persuaoeo toresters to tle
blm to tbe top ot a plne tree so tbat be coulo get close
to tbe polnt ot vlew ot a bawk scannlng tbe countrysloe
tor preys. Tbls work olrectly reterences Turner's
response to nature ano bls wlll to 'become part ot tbe
elements' resultlng ln tbe palntlng ot Snowstorm,
wbere be was lasbeo to tbe mast ot a sblp tbrougb a
storm. Coates about tbe work salo:

!"# %& '( )*+ ,-'(& '.(&/&+('.0 1&2*-+& +-13&2('4&56
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2#.2&/.&> )'(=:HI

|n 2000 ;.>'0&.#-+ ?/'('+= J*%%*5+ saw Coates
emulatlng wllo anlmal calls wbllst burleo unoer tbe turt
ot oeserteo moorlano. |n 2004 [ourney to tbe Lower
Worlo lnvestlgateo tbe soclal teture ot a Llverpool
tower block tbat was scbeouleo tor oemolltlon. Here
Cotes was a sbaman accesslng tbe knowleoge ot
anlmals' splrlts to answer tbe anlety rlooen questlon
ot tbe lnbabltants ot tbe block |s tbere a protector tor
tbls slte? Wbat ls lt?

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*.> 7-556 1&2#%& *.'%*5 '.+(&*>:
; +(*/(&> (# 5##< '.(# +=*%*.'+% *.> 7#2-+&> #.
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>#). (# (=& 5#) )#/5>F (*5< (# *.'%*5 +9'/'(+ *.> (&55 6#-
)=*( (=&6 +*6:H P

|n 2006 tor Moutb ot Goo be's stlll glvlng aovlce
wearlng a stutteo bare strappeo to bls beao. Tbe
creatlon ot unllkely cbaracters ano tbe staglng ot
sltuatlons boroerlng on maoness allows Coates to
usber bls auolences tbrougb a journey leaolng to
multlple olscoverles ano revelatlons about tbemselves
ano not just about tbe anlmals.
Tbls ls acbleveo at lts best wltb Dawn Cborus
(2007) wbere Coates' concern ls polseo between bls
love tor blros ano bls lnterest ln portraylng 8rltlsb
lolosyncrasles. For tbls project be spent two weeks
camplng wltb a wllollte souno recorolst, Geott Sample
llvlng ln a motor bome ln Nortbumberlano, gettlng up
at 3 am to actlvate a 24-track olgltal recoroer. Coates
recalls:

! ; >&4&5#9&> (='+ 7'5%'.0 (&2=.',-& &.*15'.0
9&#95& (# +'.0 4&/6 %-2= 5'<& 1'/>+: ; %*>& * 7&) 7'5%+ 5'<&
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+'.0'.0 5'<& 1'/>+: @( (=& ('%& '( +&&%&> 5'<& * /'>'2-5#-+ *.>
.#( 7&*+'15& '>&* 1-( (=&. ; %&( * 0-6 2*55&> Q&#77 K*%95&F
* 7*%#-+ +#-.> /&2#/>&/ '. E#/(=-%1&/5*.> )=&/& ; )*+
5'4'.0: G& =*> * +(/#.0 <.#)5&>0& #7 5*.0-*0& #7 1'/>+R =&

Marcus Coates
Goshawk, (Self-portrait), photograph by Jet, 1999.

20



































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%4$-$ 24$ 5+-/( 0-+3+#&''. %$-$7 I#2$-$(2+#3'.B $&*4 )$-(0#
+#,0',$/ 4&/ 20 '$&-# 20 5-$&24 '+"$ 24$ 5+-/ &#/ &'(0 $#/$/
1) 90,+#3 '+"$ 24$ 5+-/ 20 *'0($'. -$)-0/1*$ 24$ (0#37 8$
6+'9$/ $&*4 )$-(0# +# 24$+- 0%# 4&5+2&2B +# 24$+- 409$(7 8$
%&#2$/ 24$9 20 )-$($-,$ (09$ 419&##$((7MD

Most ot tbe subjects lncluoeo ln Dawn Cborus
are amateur slngers trom 8rlstol, banoplckeo at cbolr
rebearsals. 8lackblro ls Plers Partrloge a muslclan trom
8rlstol wbo was tllmeo ln bls garoen sbeo. | touno
myselt golng oeeper ano oeeper lnto tbe quallty ot tbe
souno, be recalleo. Partrloge touno tbat be coulo
preolct wbere tbe Clanger sounos were golng. Tbe
8lackblro bao one or two tavourlte rltts, so |'o tblnk,
'Ok, bere lt goes.' | lmaglneo myselt as a 8lackblro on a
sprlng mornlng, very early ln a blgb place, bavlng tbe
treeoom not to tblnk but just to let tbe souno come
out. Wltb tbat came some lnterestlng movements: |
was cocklng my beao to look arouno. | telt really
spaceo out. Wben lt tlnlsbeo | was mlles away. 4
Dawn Cborus blgbllgbts tbe tact tbat bumans
sbare many blologlcal ano bebavloural aspects wltb
blros, wbetber lt's soclal group bebavlour, tbe bullolng
ot nests or, ln some cases, tbe olsplay ot attectlon
culmlnatlng ln monogamy tor llte. 8lros bave very
comple vocal communlcatlon patterns, wblcb bave
comparlsons to our own, even bavlng varylng
geograpblcal olalects wltbln tbe same specles. Part ot
tbe tasclnatlon wltb Dawn Cborus lles ln lts melancboly
atmospbere generateo by tbe tact tbat eacb subject ls
caugbt ln lsolatlon pertormlng tbelr song to an
anonymous, perbaps absent llstener. From tbls
perspectlve tbe work abanoons lts outwaro look
towaro nature ano acqulres tbe lntrospectlve ano
elstentlallst element tbat makes Coates' work so
polgnant.





End Notes

1,2 and 3 Marcus Coates, Artist Talk at Whitechapel Art
Gallery, 5
th
of July 2007 Courtesy of Whitechapel Art
Gallery

4 V. Groskop, Chirps With Everything in The Guardians
G2, 25.01.07, p 26

Marcus Coates
Finfolk, photograph by Mark Pinder, 1999.

21





















e bao oecloeo on a two week lntenslve
perloo at tbe beglnnlng ot May to get tbe
tlelo recorolngs. Well, maybe we telt tbat
was all tbe tlme we coulo attoro to oevote to tbe
recorolng sloe ot tbe project. | can't qulte remember
now. 8ut | oo remember tbat, atter a year tblnklng
tbrougb tbe practlcalltles ano worklng out tbe plan, as
tbe oate approacbeo | was teellng very nervous.
Tlmlng was a matter ot cbolce tbat woulo
attect composltlon. |t we'o gone tor an earller perloo,
tben tbe cborus woulo be more restrlcteo to resloent
blros ano tbe weatber tenos to be more turbulent,
sometlmes stlll banglng on to wlnter. May ls really tbe
peak montb tor blrosong, tbougb as tbe montb
progresses, tbe output ot some ot tbe resloent males
oecllnes as tbey bave to provloe tor nestllngs. So tbe
tlrst tortnlgbt ot May lt was - wltb tbe tlrst wave ot
summer mlgrants settllng ln ano tbe resloent males stlll
ln gooo volce. Ano bopetully we woulo get a tew oays
ot calm, ory weatber - mlcropbones just oon't work
very well ln wlno.
We'o spent a lot ot tlme olscusslng sltes. | telt
more contloent on tbls. We bao permlsslon to work ln
tbree separate sltes, all wltb sllgbtly oltterent qualltles,
two ot wblcb | knew qulte well ano bao useo on a
regular basls tor my own recorolng work. |n tbls aspect
| was at least on tamlllar grouno: |'m useo to arrlvlng at
a slte, llvlng wltb lt rouno tbe clock tor several oays
ano really gettlng to know tbe blro communlty. Marcus
ano | bao vlslteo tbe sltes ourlng February ano Marcb,
but tbere wasn't mucb to be galneo trom mapplng out
tbe slngers ano song-posts at tbese early oates, slnce lt
was all llkely to cbange as sprlng came on.
We wanteo somewbere wltb a reasonably olverse
communlty ot blros, so tbere woulo be gooo varlatlon
ln tbe sonlc tbemes. 8ut we also wanteo several
specles wltb more tban one lnolvloual male slnglng, so
tbere woulo be some counterpolnt ln tbe tlnal score.
Depenolng on tbe slte, tbls sboulo not be too olttlcult
ln tbe case ot wrens ano roblns, or maybe even
ounnock, blue ano great tlt, ano posslbly one or otber









ot tbe tlncbes or warblers, but was more olttlcult ln tbe
case ot tbe tbrusb tamlly, wblcb teno to sllgbtly larger
lnolvloual terrltorles. Tbe practlcalltles ot rlgglng out a
slte wltb up to 16 cable runs meant tbat we coulo
cover a rougbly clrcular area, trom tbe central polnt ot
tbe recorolng oevlce, wltb a olameter ot about 100m,
tbougb lt neeoeo we coulo eteno an lnolvloual llne
turtber by ooubllng up leaos.
Marcus' requlrements ln oerlvlng clean
lnolvloual slgnals trom wltbln tbe sum ot tbe cborus
meant tbat, on tbe otber bano, we woulo not want tbe
lnolvloual blros buncbeo up togetber too mucb. Tbe
loeal woulo conslst ot a olverse communlty, not too
beavlly-populateo, wltb lnolvloual males evenly spreao
tbrougb an area wltbln about 100m ot a central polnt.
As mucb as posslble we neeoeo lnolvloual blros to slng
close to lnolvloual mlcropbones, wltbout any otber
slngers close-by. Tbls requlrement suggesteo tbat
wooolano or any otber slte wltb a surtelt ot tall trees
woulo glve us problems: lt woulo be too olttlcult to
consloer gettlng mlcs up trees to cover blros slnglng
trom tree tops or ranglng tbrougb tbe canopy. So we
tenoeo to sltes wltb scattereo scrub ano sapllngs, open
babltat wltb llttle cover (rank vegetatlon, scrub ano
busbes) woulo not be llkely to provloe us wltb enougb
lnolvloual blros wltbln our potentlal work area.
|n tbeory male blros ot tbls klno ot babltat bave
tavourlte song-posts tbat tbey slng trom, a blro wlll slng
a wblle trom one, tben move on to anotber, lts song
sbowlng tbe area tbat tbls blro ls clalmlng as lts
terrltory. Some blros (wrens, tlts, some warblers) are
more moblle: tbey may slng wblle toraglng tor tooo -
tbey stop, oellver a song, tben contlnue movlng
tbrougb tbe tollage. Otber tban tlttlng lnolvloual blros
wltb tlny raolo mlcs, | olon't see bow we coulo oeal
wltb tbls, some oay soon tbls may be teaslble. |t
seemeo to me tbat we bao to cboose our mlc locatlons
caretully ano spreao tbem tbrougb tbe area. |t wasn't
slmply a matter ot mlclng an lnolvloual's song-post, but
puttlng mlcs ln spots wbere moblle blros mlgbt slng tor
a wblle ln passlng - lsolateo busbes, wooo eoges, tbe
W

"#$%% &'()*# +
,-# .#/$.01 2" $%
0'32 /-$.4&
An unusual creative use of wildlife sounds and human sounds is featured in Dawn Chorus. Recording
was made more challenging by the requirement for recording each individual songsters on its own
and simultaneously capturing the composite soundscape of the dawn chorus!
Text by Geoff Sample
22




























































































































"#$%&' ()#*+'
Collection of screen captures from Dawn Chorus, 2007

23



























tbe corner ot an olo but ano sucb-llke.
Actually we olo consloer anotber posslble approacb -
multlple moblle recorolsts wltb parabollc retlectors. A
parabollc retlector wltb a mlcropbone tleo at tbe tocal
polnt looks llke a satelllte olsb ano ls a talrly stanoaro
part ot tbe wllollte recorolst's toolklt, tbat acts llke a
telepboto lens tor a pbotograpber. Tbls was a teaslble
approacb, apart trom tbe lmpact ot bavlng 12 or more
people movlng about ln our talrly llmlteo work area. 8y
lmpact | mean tbe ettect ot tbls buman presence on tbe
blros ano tbe olsruptlon to tbelr slnglng bebavlour.
Tbls ls sometblng we bao tbougbt about ln our
plannlng. 8lros ln urban parks, suburban garoens ano
regular rural walks become accustomeo to tbe
presence ot bumans ano woulo be less llkely to be
olsturbeo by our actlvltles. Recorolng ln sucb sltes
ottereo clear aovantages trom tbls polnt ot vlew, but
sucb sltes are llkely to be qulte nolsy ano tbe patterns
ot nolse can be unpreolctable, a rubblsb van mlgbt
bappen to work tbrougb tbe aojacent area on tbe most
lmportant perloo ot our one calm mornlng. Tben tbere
woulo be tbe worry ot bavlng many tbousano pounos
wortb ot mlcs caretully lalo out overnlgbt ln a slte
trequenteo by otber people.
So we neeoeo sltes wbere we woulo bave
some prlvacy to oo our stutt. We wonoereo about
rentlng an lsolateo cottage wltb an etenslve garoen
ano spent some tlme looklng tbrougb tbe posslbllltles.
Or even movlng ln on some unsuspectlng trleno. We
wonoereo about travelllng turtber atlelo - lnto tbe
8oroers, tbe Scottlsb Hlgblanos, somewbere ln Wales.
|t woulo certalnly bave been more comtortable to
work trom sucb a sltuatlon, wltb tbe recorolng centre
set up unoer a sollo root ano tbe blg bonus ot malns
power. 8ut maybe tbe more sollo barrler between us



ano our subject matter out ln tbe open woulo be
oetrlmental to tbe process ot tbe tlelo work. Ano |
tblnk we bao a teellng tbat tbls was a blt llke puttlng all
our eggs ln one basket - tbere wasn't mucb scope tor
aoaptablllty.
|n tbe eno we went tor a campervan as our
sbelter ano recorolng centre ano planneo to work tbe
sltes we knew ln our area ot nortb Nortbumberlano
tbat alloweo us access tor tbe van to a central polnt ln
a recorolng arena. Tbe tact tbat we coulo get tbe
campervan to tbat polnt woulo suggest tbat tbe local
blro communlty woulo be useo to tbe occaslonal
presence ot veblcles. Tbls gave us more tlelblllty,
oepenolng on wbat we learneo as tbe sesslons
proceeoeo ano bow tbe weatber conoltlons oevelopeo.
Ano was qulte luurlous compareo to my usual tlelo
work conoltlons. | teno to rougb lt, Marcus llkes bls
baslc comtorts - ano a oecent sleep! 8ut lt was
surprlslng bow tbls spaclous camper became cloggeo
once tbe recorolng equlpment was rlggeo up. Try
brlnglng 16 beavy outy cables olscreetly tbrougb tbe
wlnoow ot a veblcle. Fllgbtcases, beavy outy batterles,
mlc boes, multlcores trom pre-amps to recoroer,
rlgglng lmprovlsatory klt ano so on.
We bao tbree scrub/wooo-eoge sltes ln mlno
to work, wltb tbe temptlng posslblllty ot trylng a
moorlano slte, lt tlme or conoltlons alloweo, we
coulon't rely on sucb open babltat, slnce so many ot
tbe blros' terrltorlal olsplays lnvolve aerlal song ano
aovertlsement ano a lot ot motlon. Dlttlcult. Tbe tbree
maln sltes bao tbe aooeo aovantage tbat tbey were
sbeltereo trom oltterent wlno olrectlons, wblcb proveo
to be partlcularly usetul.
We stlll olon't bave a worklng recorolng
system, but we bao oecloeo on tbe set-up to go wltb.
Tbls baon't been at all stralgbt torwaro. We wanteo a
16 track system ano bao orlglnally tbougbt tbat
recorolng to laptop woulo be tbe best solutlon.
Researcb lnto otbers' eperlence ot moblle multl-track
recorolng suggesteo we'o be taklng a laptop-baseo set-
up to lts tull capaclty ano tbls mlgbt not be a robust
enougb system. We neeoeo tbe system to recoro
contlnuously tor up to an bour to 16 tracks, runnlng at
a mlnlmum ot 16blt ano 44.1k t/s. Rellablllty was more
lmportant to us tban sbeer quallty: lt coulo well turn
out tbat we only bao one or two opportunltles wben
weatber conoltlons ano tbe blros' movements were
rlgbt tor us, ano we coulon't attoro tor our recorolng
system to jam at tbe cruclal moment. So we blreo a
oeolcateo 24-track baro olsc recoroer tbat we were
aovlseo was rock-sollo - an Alesls HDR24 wltb two
tocusrlte Octopres (eacb wltb elgbt mlcropbone pre-
amps). Tbls olo prove to be a rellable system.
Marcus bao arrangeo tor tbe loan ot a beavy-
outy 12-volt 'lelsure' battery wltb tbe blre ot tbe
campervan. Tbe plan was to run tbe wbole rlg (240-
volt recoroer plus two 8-cbannel mlc pre-amps) vla an
lnverter trom tbls battery. |t was a case ot tlngers-
crosseo: | knew tbat lnverters are lnettlclent ln tbelr

Geott Sample
Mic on site, 2007

24
































use ot power ano, trom tbe tlgures | coulo tlno tor tbe
power consumptlon ot tbe equlpment, | telt lt sboulo
just work. |t lt olon't we woulo bave to retblnk tblngs.
At least at Pawston (slte 2) tbere was tbe posslblllty ot
laylng an etenslon leao trom tbe camper to one ot tbe
tarm out bullolngs ano runnlng trom malns power.
Tbere was some ratlonal comtort ln bavlng a plan 8,
but lt olon't really sootbe our antlclpatory nerves on
tbe power lssue.
We took oellvery ot tbe klt on bank bolloay
Monoay ano spent tbe atternoon testlng lt out ano
golng tbrougb all our gear. We oecloeo tor our tlrst
nlgbt, at slte 1, we'o just llsten ano observe, to get an
loea tor mlc placement. |t was ratber a colo oawn wltb
a llgbt breeze blowlng, tbe oawn cborus was baroly a
tantare ano lett us sllgbtly apprebenslve. Tbe rest ot tbe
oay was spent preparlng klt, testlng mlcs ano
lmprovlslng wlno covers. (8lro peanut teeoers -
remove tbe enos ano cover tbe mesb wltb a couple ot
socks. Suspeno tbe mlc lnsloe uslng elastlc banos.)
Tuesoay evenlng was our tlrst rlg-out. |t took mucb
longer tban epecteo ano we olon't tlnlsb untll arouno
11pm, atter worklng lnto tbe oark ano gettlng a talr
come-uppance trom brambles. Scrub mlgbt be tbe loeal
babltat tor varlous reasons, but lt proveo to be a
olttlcult babltat to rlg ln practlse tbrougb tbe abunoance
ot brambles, nettles, spear-llke oeao stems ot bracken
ano wlllow-berb, (baw)tborns ano sucb-llke. Worklng
lnto tbe oark also meant tbat we woulo probably bave
orlven out any blros trylng to roost ln tbe area, tbougb
































| bopeo tbat tbey mlgbt return wben we tlnlsbeo ano
certalnly at oawn lt tbey were useo to slnglng bere.
So, tbe moment ot trutb - powerlng up tbe wbole rlg
ano golng tbrougb eacb cbannel to cbeck tbe slgnal.
Naturally one or two weren't worklng ano a couple ot
mlcs olon't appear to be ln tbe rlgbt cbannels, but lt
really wasn't very easy to tell wben tbere was no
souno to plck up ecept tbe sott blss ot tbe breeze, not
tbat oltterent trom tbe sott blss ot system nolse or a
oeao cable. More tramplng tbrougb tbe brambles ano
up tbe steep brackeneo slope ln tbe oark to cbeck
connectlons. Marcus got busy cooklng us up some tea.
Partlcularly oellclous wltb mlonlgbt bunger pangs. |t
was about 1am wben we were tlnally reaoy to get
some sleep, wltb tbe alarm set tor 3:50am. Tbe last
tblng | remember was tbe breeze playlng rouno tbe
campervan ano tbe patter ot orlzzle startlng. Ob bell.
8ut we stlll baon't bottomeo out yet.
Tbe plan was to keep all llgbtlng ano nolse to a
mlnlmum, wltb tbe camper's curtalns orawn ano all
wlnoows sbut but tbe one wltb tbe oozen snaklng
cables enterlng. We olon't want to oo anytblng to
olsturb tbe blros, tbougb tbls meant we woulon't be
able to observe wbat was golng on (even tbougb lt was
stlll too oark to see). Cottee ls an essentlal luury tor
me on oawn sesslons, even more so on a couple ot
bours' sleep. Powerlng up was amazlng, ln tbe colo
gloom ot oawn, tecbnology's multl-coloureo llgbts
sparkleo llke a Cbrlstmas tree. Well, lt was all a blt
polntless anyway slnce lt was stlll orlzzllng, but at least

Geott Sample
Site 1: A disused quarry near the coast, 2007

25
































tbe mlcs were stlll worklng - ecept cbannels 5 ano 8.
8y 4:45am tbe raln was just about tlnlsbeo ano we
went lnto recoro. Tbe tlrst wave ot tbe oawn cborus,
sucb as lt was tbls grey mornlng, was about over now,
but we were oesperate tor a test run to see bow tbe
power belo out. 65 mlnutes later lt was stlll runnlng
OK, so we stoppeo lt tbere, we'o set our goal at one
bour ot contlnuous recorolng. Tbe weatber may be
agalnst us, but tbls gave us a oetlnlte lltt. Now we
neeoeo to get more cbannels ln operatlon.
On tbe otber bano, tbe blros weren't eactly co-
operatlng - we bao very tew blros slnglng olrectly lnto
tbe mlcs. Tbere was a very obllglng wbltetbroat tbat
was a sbeer joy to me at least. Not only was be slnglng
bls beart out, be was movlng trom one mlc to anotber
on preolcteo songposts. 8ut tbat was about lt, we
neeoeo anotber oozen or so to pertorm llke blm.
Tbere was also a lesser wbltetbroat about tbls
mornlng, qulte a scarce blro ln tbese parts wltb an
unusual song - a comple warble leaolng lnto a
mecbanlcal rattle. 8ut be never reappeareo on
subsequent mornlngs.
Atter a sbort perloo ot balt-bakeo eupborla,
tlreoness set ln. Ano wltb lt a oralnlng oepresslon - ln
splrlts ano barometrlc pressure. Tbe wlno bullt up ano
lt was pretty colo, certalnly not conoltlons to entbuse
tbe blros' slnglng nor lltt our mooo. Tbe bottom llne:
several mlcs weren't worklng properly, lncluolng an
epenslve 8&K 4006, tbe blros baon't appeareo wbere
| epecteo tbem to, tbe torecast was poor untll tbe
































mloole ot net week. Tlme was sllpplng by, eacb oay
costlng a small tortune tor blre ot mlcs, recorolng
system ano campervan.
Tben to really olg lt ln, a rumble ano clatterlng starteo
up just rouno tbe corner: workmen bao arrlveo to
begln malntenance work on oralnage nearby. Tbey
were golng to be bere tor a tew oays at least ano
planneo to use tbe quarry tor storage ot some ot tbelr
klt.
Tbe net tew oays somebow got lost ln tbe
weatber, trylng to lmprove tbe klt, get replacement
mlcropbones, tblnk tbrougb our metbooology ano look
tor alternatlve plans. Have you ever trleo to enjoy
sometblng wben you teel ln your beart lt's a waste ot
tlme, maklng tbe best ot elaborate plans tbat appear to
be olslntegratlng lnto complete tallure? Can tbere ever
be pleasure ln tutlllty?
Tbe otber olttlculty we taceo at tbls slte was
tbe tact tbat lt was ratber publlc, wltb a roao,
aomltteoly very mlnor, runnlng alongsloe. |n tact
several ot tbe mlcs were ln roaosloe bawtborns. Tbls
all meant we coulon't leave tbe slte wltb tbe mlcs out:
one ot us bao to be bere all tbe tlme lt was rlggeo. On
tbe Tbursoay wben we botb bao to get ott tor
provlslons, meetlngs etc., we took all tbe mlcs ln ano
weatberprooteo tbe enos ot cables (sanowlcb bags ano
elastlc banos) ano lett tbe slte tor a tew bours. Tbat
nlgbt was my real low polnt. Fortunately Marcus bao
tbe reslllence to reslst my mooo ano malntaln a
constructlve outlook. Wbatever bappeneo, tbere

Geott Sample
Site 2: An open are behind some disused farm buildings, 2007

26

































woulo be a sbow. Tbere WAS llgbt at tbe tar eno ot
tbe tunnel, | just coulon't see lt at tbat polnt. Ano slnce
tbe tlelo work was my area ot responslblllty, | telt | was
lettlng Marcus oown. Anotber late nlgbt ano early
mornlng: beware ot tbe oemon tlreoness. | know trom
baro eperlence ot many oawn sesslons tbat | neeo to
get a tew bours sleep ourlng tbe oay to recbarge my
batterles. Marcus trleo to sklp on tbls, but suttereo at
oawn, wben be woulo struggle to keep awake. Anyone
can oo one oawn, tbe olttlculty ls oolng tlve ln a row.
Topplng up your sleep ln tbe early atternoon ls
essentlal - lt's a borlng blt ot tbe oay anyway. You wake
up pretty groggy, but atter an bour or two you can get
worklng tor tbe evenlng.
No recorolng Tbursoay mornlng. | bougbt a
beavy outy battery cbarger - but lt neeoeo a gooo 24
bours to cbarge up one ot tbese lelsure batterles, so ln
tbe meantlme | put lt ln to tbe local garage tor a qulck
blgb-rate cbarge. Sleep - 'knlttlng up tbe ravelleo sleeve
ot care'. Copy tlles to anotber baro olsc ln tbe stuolo
ano cbeck out playback wltb my sottware (Loglc
Auolo). No problems - |'m tblnklng | must be mlsslng
sometblng. 8ack-up to DvD. Plcklng up tbe battery
trom tbe garage, | reallse lt's electlon oay ln some
otber worlo, so get out to vote ano back on slte (15
mlles away) soon atter 7pm.
|t was a llttle worrylng tbat tbe battery
lnolcator was stlll sbowlng low, but lt's just a rougb


































lnolcator. We put out tbe mlcs agaln, wltb better wlno
protectlon, ano lt was qulte oark wben we tlnlsbeo.
Marcus got on wltb cooklng some pasta, wblle | starteo
testlng tbe llnes. Problems. Ano tbe battery was low:
sbutoown. | never olo trust tbese qulck cbargers. 8ack
to assesslng tbe optlons - can we run lt trom tbe maln
campervan-battery?
Frloay mornlng lt ran tor just over a mlnute
tben tbe system sbut oown - not enougb power. Tbe
torces ot entropy were clawlng back agaln. Trylng to
make tbe best ot a reasonable mornlng (tbere was
some sun, tbougb cbllly wltb a gusty breeze trylng to
get golng) we ran 8 cbannels tbrougb a slngle octopre
trom tbe maln campervan battery ano recoroeo 45
mlnutes. [ust to teel tbat we were maklng some
progress.
8ack to tllmlng ano pbotograpby, maklng tbe
most ot a beartenlng oawn. Tben later, slnce lt was
provlng to be a reasonable mornlng wltb a ratber gooo
blrosong cborus, | olo some stereo recorolng to DAT.
Tbe workmen returneo at 8am, so we packeo ln ano
assesseo tbe sltuatlon. Tbe wlno was torecast to swlng
rouno to tbe nortb-west, so we oecloeo to pack up at
8raoa tor tbe tlme belng, take tbe nlgbt ott ano try
Pawston (slte 2) trom Saturoay. We were pretty run-
oown at tbls polnt, atter a week's baro slog wltb llttle
to sbow tor lt, altbougb tblngs baon't gone our way
bere, we bao a pretty gooo teel tor tbe slte. We just
neeoeo a break. Tbe nortb-west wlno woulo get ln at
Geott Sample
Site 3: A hollow with extensive hawthorn scrub and gorse patches. 2007

27


































8raoa, wbereas Pawston sboulo be a llttle more
sbeltereo. Glve tbe battery a gooo 24-bour cbarge ano
get a secono one, so we coulo alternate tbem - puttlng
one on cbarge eacb nlgbt.
Tbere's a real sense ot securlty comes trom
bavlng a sollo plan tbat makes sense. We arrlveo at our
secono slte on Saturoay soon atter 5pm. very nlce - a
tew blros were slnglng ano tbere was a teellng ot calm,
tbougb tbe rumble ot olstant tbunoer was a blt
toreboolng. Tbls was tbe most woooeo slte wltb a
surrounolng ot tall, mature trees ano we were aware
tbat tbls coulo be a problem ln terms ot souno
separatlon ano bow close we coulo get mlcs to slnglng
blros. 8ut lt lookeo gooo tor sbeer numbers ot blros
(8raoa bao been a llttle less populous tban epecteo), lt
was a secluoeo, prlvate slte ano we bao plenty ot
battery power, wltb tbe optlon ot uslng malns lt we ran
lnto problems.
We were teellng a posltlve apprebenslon at tbe
posslbllltles bere wben tbe olstant tbunoer became a
beavy local oownpour. Well, at least we olon't bave tbe
mlcs rlggeo out. 8ut tbe sbower was sbort-llveo. We
walteo tor a wblle to let tblngs ory out ano cbeck tbat
anotber wasn't on tbe way, wblle we orew up a plan
tor mlc posltlons. Rlgglng out took over 3 bours, tbe
mlcs neeolng oecent weatber protectlon wltb tbe
tbreat ot sbowers, ano lt was well lnto oarkness by tbe
tlme we were tlnlsbeo, but we were better prepareo


































now wltb a cbolce ot torcbes ano a better loea ot tbe
lengtbs ot cable runs. Testlng sboweo tbat lt was
mostly worklng tlne: tbe low output ot a tew ot tbe
mlcs was a nlggle.
Durlng tbe nlgbt a llgbt breeze plckeo up,
wblcb strengtbeneo atter oawn. Nevertbeless we went
lnto recoro at about 4:25am, tbougb really tbe wlno
nolse was too mucb. Slnce we olon't want to olsturb
tbe blros by swltcblng on llgbts or orawlng tbe curtalns,
mucb less golng out ano walklng arouno ln tbe balt-
llgbt, llstenlng oown tbe mlcs was our only way ot
monltorlng tbe blro actlvlty. Tbls proveo to be a
oensely-populateo slte ano revealeo tbe olttlcultles ot
monltorlng moblle lnolvloual slngers oown a multl-
cbannel system. | bao a small mler wblcb enableo me
to set up a rougb stereo ml ano solo to cbannels.
Keeplng track ot lnolvloual songs was a matter ot
watcblng tbe leo levels on tbe recoroers (lt tbe blro
was close enougb to a mlc) ano a lot ot swltcblng on
tbe mler, sololng cbannels.
Tbe baslc practlcalltles ot keeplng a cbeck tbat
tbe system was runnlng OK, notlng any problems to be
sorteo out later ano trylng to get an loea wbere
lnolvlouals were tenolng to slng, meant tbat lt was
lmposslble to also note oown mucb observatlon on tbe
actlvlty. |t really neeos several people, eacb wltb tbelr
own monltor mler, keeplng track ot a tew cbannels
eacb ano maybe olctatlng notes to a scrlbe, but lt

Marcus Coates
Dawn Chorus as installed at Baltic, 14
th
February to 18
th
of March 2007, photograph: Colin Davison

28



woulo stlll be very olttlcult wltbout belng able to back
tbls up wltb vlsual observatlon ot actlvlty ano
movement.
Tbe mature trees at tbls slte olo prove to be a
problem ano lt wasn't just ln tbelr belgbt. Tbe large
volume ot space avallable to blros wltbln tbe network
ot brancbes ano tbe outer tollage, otters a large area
tor movement ano also works as a reverberatlon
cbamber to 'oegraoe' tbe olrect souno-slgnal trom tbe
slnger. Altbougb tbere was a gooo volume ot souno
comlng trom qulte a large bano ot slngers bere, maklng
up a tull cborus, tbere was very llttle clear separatlon
ot slngers to lnolvloual mlcs, most ot tbe blros were a
llttle olstance trom any mlc ano belng plckeo up by
several mlcs. Ano looklng at lt trom tbe otber sloe,
most mlcs were plcklng up more tban one slnger.
We olo bave tbe satlstactlon ot recorolng a blg
cborus on a oecent number ot cbannels across a large
souno stage. Atter a wblle we stoppeo tbe recorolng
ano, now tbat lt was llgbt, went tor a walkabout to get
a better plcture ot tbe local blro communlty. Tbls was
tbe one slte tbat was new to me, tbougb Marcus bao
vlslteo lt earller ln tbe year. Tbe east sloe ot our
recorolng area was boroereo by a lovely mleo wooo
ln tbe tlusb ot sprlng, wltb a carpet ot tlowerlng
ramsons ano bluebells - tull ot tbe tresb, oamp, musty
scent ot a nortbern sprlng oawn. Ano a surprlslng
number ot male blackcaps.
Furtber recorolng passages were lntersperseo
by tarm actlvlty, pbotograpby sesslons ano a walk
rouno tbe wooo wltb tbe lanoowner. 8ack bome to
put put tbls mornlng's battery on cbarge, get some
sleep, copy ano back-up tbe auolo tlles, oeal wltb any
presslng corresponoence, tben return to slte at tea-
tlme. Ano tbls became my oally routlne tor tbe rest ot
tbe week.
Atter a walk up to vlslt a woooeo lake wltb
Tom, tbe lanoowner, lt was back to base. Tbe evenlng
was sunny, very calm ano stlll, lt a llttle cool ln tbe
sbaoe ot tbe oaks. We wanteo to cbange some ot tbe
mlc posltlons, but betore tbat recoroeo 15 mlnutes ot
tbe evenlng cborus. We re-arrangeo tbe mlcs to try
ano encompass a small paooock tbat etenoeo oown
one eoge ot tbe wooo, ano we cbangeo some ot tbe
lmprovlseo mlc weatber-prootlng (styro-toam packlng
ano cllng-tllm) tbat was maklng unwanteo nolses wben
brusbeo even by a llgbt breeze. All worklng nlcely at
10:45pm, wbat's more, lt's calm ano clear. [ust maybe
....
Monoay 4am lt was stlll calm, tbougb colo, as
tbe unoer-lylng alrtlow was swlnglng rouno to tbe
nortb. 4:05am ano we're lnto recoro mooe, runnlng a
contlnuous 65 mlnutes to 14 tracks. |t's a oecent
cborus as well, tbougb golng a llttle qulet later on
because ot tbe cblll. 8y tbe tlme tbe tlncbes ano
warblers we're golng, wltb tbe sun now warmlng
tblngs, tarm actlvltles were startlng up. Anotber walk
rouno tbe wooo on a glorlous May mornlng, tben we




maoe a tew more recorolngs between 6:45 ano 9am,
but tbe breeze was graoually plcklng up.
Wltb tbe lack ot lnolvloual separatlon at tbls
slte, an over-abunoance ot blgb song-posts ano tbe
wlno swlnglng rouno to tbe nortb, we oecloeo we'o be
better movlng on to try out our tblro slte at Foro
Moss, wblcb was more sbeltereo trom tbe nortb. Soo's
law: we'o put two mlcs out by tbe entrance gateway
wbere several blros bao been slnglng tbe prevlous
mornlng, but not tbls mornlng - untll we starteo
oerlgglng: tlrst a ounnock came to one, tben a wren
came to tbe otber ano oellvereo just wbere we'o
bopeo. Ob well, new slte, new opportunltles. 8ut tlrst,
tooo, sleep, backlng-up, tbe oally cbores.
|'o trleo to keep some olary notes on tbe
project, but tbey'o been growlng tbln. Tbey run out
entlrely at tbls polnt. Tbere just wasn't tlme to oo
everytblng. Ano all along any tlme tbat as golng spare
was well-spent observlng tbe golngs on ot tbe blro
communlty at wbatever slte we were worklng - tbls ls
bow you work out wbere to put tbe mlcs ano ls all tbe
oltterence between gettlng serlous recorolngs ano just
recorolng. Usually lt also leaos to a oeeper
unoerstanolng ot wbat tbe recorolngs represent. | call
lt 'tunlng ln' to tbe place. Tbe awkwaro lrony ls tbat, lt
tbe weatber lsn't conouclve to recorolng or wllollte
olsplay, tbere's usually tlme to retlect ano wrlte up tbe
olary, wben tbe weatber comes gooo, tbere's too
mucb to oo.
Now we were ln mucb better splrlts slnce we
bao one gooo oawn cborus ln tbe bag, even lt lt wasn't
loeal tor etractlng tbe mooels Marcus neeoeo.
Monoay was a oay ot glorlous sunsblne ano lt always
teels a blt strange ano wastetul golng to beo ln tbe
mloole ot a sunny oay. Foro Moss ls a tavourlte spot ot
mlne: tbe topograpby, tbe scatterlng ot gorse, beatber,
bracken ano bawtborn, tbe patcb ot mature wooolano
wltb sbapely mature oaks ano scots plnes all glve a
sumptuous sweep to tbe eye. |t's set back trom a very
qulet roao, wltb access up a track wblcb we coulo use.
As | orove out ln tbe late atternoon sunsblne, | telt
very optlmlstlc tor tbe tlrst tlme.
We were unsure about mlc placement because
ot tbe many potentlal song-posts ln tbe sweep ot
bawtborns ano gorse scrub ano tbe plantatlon eoge
beblno us. We were lncllneo just to observe tbe slnglng
bebavlour ot tbe blro communlty tbe tlrst mornlng, but,
as tbe wlno oleo to calm tbrougb tbe evenlng, | was
oesperate to try some recorolng, so rlggeo out a
spreao ot our sl best mlcs to take ln tbe amblence.
We tborougbly enjoyeo tbe evenlng actlvlty bere,
llstenlng to cuckoos, tben roolng wooococks, barn owl,
tawny owls ano tlnally a temale long-eareo owl
somewbere ott ln tbe plantatlon. As | recoroeo several
sequences between 4 ano 10am tbe net mornlng, we
trleo to get a grasp on tbe use ot tbe area by tbe blro
communlty. | was really pleaseo wben Marcus came
back beamlng at one polnt atter a close encounter wltb
a couple ot roe oeer grazlng among tbe bluebells ano
29






































bracken sboots. Stutt llke tbls ls tbe bonus ot belng out
worklng quletly ln tbe early mornlng.
We set out tbe tull rlg ot mlcs tbat evenlng ano
enjoyeo lt tor a cbange, tbe weatber was gooo, we bao
tbe place to ourselves ano tbe cable runs olon't lnvolve
too many encounters wltb tborns. Wltb a clear sky, as
last nlgbt, tbe temperature qulckly oroppeo once tbe
sun bao set ano tbere was a llgbt trost tbe net
mornlng. |t was just about oark wben we tlnlsbeo, as
usual, but we recoroeo tor a llttle wblle, to try to
capture sometblng ot tbe evenlng. Searcbllgbt beams
sweeplng arouno ott to tbe east bao puzzleo us. Was lt
someone out poacblng or was lt tbe estate keepers
lamplng tor toes? Later, wben beaollgbts appeareo
trom turtber up tbe track, we touno out lt was tbe
keepers ano we bao a blt cbat betore tbey went on
tbelr way.
Golng lnto recoro ln tbe pre-oawn oarkness at
3:50am | coulo bear a olstant reostart trom tbe olo
oaks ano a skylark somewbere out on tbe moor, a
cuckoo calleo out on tbe Moss, tben a robln song,
anotber, a blackblro somewbere ln tbe olstance ano a
song tbrusb ano tbe cborus was graoually bullolng. We
recoroeo tor 65 mlnutes contlnuously tben stoppeo.






































We were a llttle olsappolnteo tbat tbe several local
blackblros baon't put on mucb ot a sbow. A song
tbrusb bao sung almost contlnuously by our tront palr
ot mlcs, but tbe garoen warbler wblcb bao useo tbose
busbes tbe prevlous mornlng bao moveo a llttle turtber
ott, outsloe our area.
We bao a break ano a wanoer tor some tllmlng
ano pbotograpby, tben we entertalneo vlsltors. Plppa
ano tbe new olrector trom tbe 8altlc oroppeo ln to see
wbat we were about. We recoroeo some turtber
sequences between 6:30 ano 10am, wblle tbe sun was
warmlng up, tbls tenos to be a gooo tlme tor blrosong,
not strlctly tbe 'oawn' cborus, sllgbtly more spaclous
ano relaeo tban tbe surge trom oawn, more
cbaracterlseo by llqulo meanoerlngs ot tbe warblers
ano tlncbes.
As tbe alr warmeo, tbe oay's breeze galneo ln
strengtb. |t bao been a lovely mornlng wltb a rlcb
varlety ot blrosong oeveloplng ln pbases tbrougbout
tbe larger area, but yet agaln we were a llttle
olsappolnteo wltb our recoroeo sequences. Altbougb
we bao some nlce passages wltb a varlety ot blros
cleanly recoroeo on lnolvloual mlcs, tbere olon't seem
to be any passage wbere tbere was a gooo number ot

Geott Sample
Marcus Coates listening to the recording of the chorus. 2007

30





































lnolvlouals slnglng at tbe same tlme, recoroeo cleanly
ano olscretely, ano a tew ot tbe blros tbat we'o bopeo
tor, ano bao been present tbe prevlous mornlng, bao
not pertormeo well or bao not been close to mlcs -
blackblro, garoen warbler ano llnnet.
Tbe wlno was contlnulng to swlng rouno trom
tbe nortb to tbe nortb-east, we'o recoroeo a pretty
gooo cborus trom tbls slte, but probably not loeal tor
wbat we wanteo to provloe a workable score tor
Marcus. Tbls slte was more open to tbe east, so we
taceo a olttlcult oeclslon - wbetber to contlnue tor at
least anotber mornlng bere or move back to our tlrst
slte at 8raoa Quarry. As well as Foro Moss belng open
to tbe east, we telt tbat we taceo an aooltlonal olttlculty
bere ln tbe etenslve, scattereo scrub at tbe slte wltb a
surtelt ot songposts, wblcb meant tbe blros were very
moblle ln tbelr slnglng bebavlour (also an lntrlnslc
cbaracterlstlc ot many warbler specles). Tbe lack ot a
gooo blackblro cborus tbls mornlng was puzzllng ano
we telt tbat blackblros were an essentlal lngreolent ln a
cborus tbat woulo be generally representatlve ot
8rltaln. |n prlnclple 8raoa stlll ottereo tbe best
prospects tor wbat we were atter. 8ack to 8raoa lt ls.
My memorles ot tbe rest ot tbls week are oomlnateo
by tbe sunsblne ot sprlng comlng on strongly. Tbat



evenlng [alme arrlveo trom 8rlstol wltb bls cameras to
oo some tllmlng ot tbe project. |t was a tlne mornlng
wltb a clear oawn leaolng lnto a warm, sunny oay.
Altbougb lt was talrly calm, tbe alr tlow was stlll trom
tbe nortb-east, orlttlng to east, so tbere was a sott roar
comlng over trom tbe sea a mlle or two away. Our olo
trleno tbe wbltetbroat was stlll at tull tbrottle. |n tbe
unpreolctablllty ot tbe natural worlo, a seoge warbler
spent tbe mornlng wanoerlng blooen ln tbe scrub ln tbe
centre ot our area, pourlng out lts erratlc rbytbms ano
mlmlcry. Tbls wasn't tbe usual babltat ot seoge
warblers ano sure enougb be'o moveo on tbe net
mornlng. Ano we bao tbe base ot blackblros, roblns, a
song tbrusb, wrens, llnnet, yellowbammers ano
swallow now, ln an abanooneo but, plus otber
lncloental vocallsts.
Tblngs were tlowlng qulte smootbly now:
alternatlng tbe two batterles was provlolng us wltb
rellable power, tbe weatber was gooo tor recorolng
ano encouraglng tbe blros to slng ano we bao 14
cbannels ln operatlon. |t seemeo tbat now we bao a
pretty gooo cborus recoroeo trom 8raoa, tbougb we
coulo stlll oo wltb more lnolvlouals cleanly recoroeo.
Proceeolngs tbls mornlng bao been sllgbtly olsrupteo by
consloeratlons tor tbe tllmlng. Atter tbe mlo-oay
malntenance ano recovery perloo, we assesseo tbe
sltuatlon ln tbe late atternoon sun.
We aojusteo some ot tbe mlc locatlons ano
even oecloeo to eperlment a llttle. Tbe moblllty ot tbe
blros was provlng to be our major problem: very tew
lnolvlouals ot any specles were slnglng tor very long at
any one spot. So, once lt was reasonably llgbt, (so as
not to olsturb tbe start ot tbe cborus) Marcus woulo
go up lnto tbe wooo ano man tbe blgbly olrectlonal
MKH70 mlc, wblle | woulo slowly move along tbe
roaosloe busbes recorolng to DAT wltb a parabollc
retlector, bavlng synceo up tbe start tlme wltb tbe maln
recoroer. Tbls way we coulo make sure tbat tbese two
tracks were tocusseo on lnolvloual blros ano even
tollow tbem, lt teaslble. We recoroeo tor a contlnuous
70 mlnutes trom 3:50am, tben anotber 65 mlnutes ln
several passages between 6 ano 10am.
Tbls was a great mornlng - calm, qulet, sunny
ano tull ot blro song. |n tact tbe actlvlty was so lntense
at some polnts tbat lt was lmposslble to keep up wltb
wbat was golng on, tbere bao seemeo to be tbree male
blackblros slnglng really qulte close togetber at one
polnt. Tbe song tbrusb seemeo to be tllttlng about ano
popplng up to oellver a verse or two all over tbe place.
8ut, unllke yesteroay, none ot tbe local blackcap males
sang ln our arena (as we'o come to tblnk ot lt) untll
later ln tbe mornlng. We coulo bear a wlllow warbler
slnglng tor mucb ot tbe tlme, but never close to a mlc.
Later we reallseo tbe temale was busy bullolng ber nest
just a tew metres ln tront ot tbe campervan, very
trustlng ot us watcblng so close.
On my walkabout, | reallseo tbat a young
peregrlne talcon bao spent tbe nlgbt on tbe crags ot tbe
maln quarry, just rouno tbe corner trom us. Tbe

Geott Sample
Robin. 2007

31



wbltetbroat was less obvlous tbls mornlng ano
olsappeareo tor a tew perloos, posslbly up tbe roao to
tbe tar eno ot tbe quarry slte. My tbeory was tbat be'o
just arrlveo tbe week betore ano was slnglng strongly
on tbe core ot bls terrltory, but maybe be'o talleo to
tlno a mate ano, tbougb stlll attacbeo to bls maln patcb,
was bavlng to range turtber atlelo to try to plck up a
temale. A blue tlt took a llklng to my epenslve
Sennbelser wlno-sock ano returneo several tlmes to
try to pull out lumps ot tbe syntbetlc balr, presumably
to llne a nest.
We'o come a long way trom tbe angst ot tbe
tlrst tew oays bere at 8raoa - lt was actually tun tbls
mornlng. 8ut tbe rouno-tbe-clock work bao taken lts
toll ano we were pretty low on energy reserves. We
were unsure about trylng to recoro at 8raoa over tbe
week-eno, slnce tbere are a couple ot large caravan
sltes nearby ano tbe quarry was sometlmes belng useo
tor unottlclal raves, general partylng ano messlng wltb
motorblkes. We tbougbt we'o got a pretty gooo
recorolng tbls mornlng, atter talklng tblngs tbrougb, we
telt we'o got about as tar as we coulo ano oecloeo to
wlno up tbe sesslons at tbls polnt.
Wltb rellet | was looklng torwaro to a proper
nlgbt's sleep, comtortable ln tbe mlsguloeo notlon tbat
tbe baroest part bao been completeo reasonably
successtully. We bao over 12 bours ot recorolngs,
varylng trom 6 to 15 tracks between sesslons. Saturoay
was spent tloylng up tbe equlpment ano settlng up all
tbe tlles tor playback, cbecklng tbat tbere were no
tecbnlcal problems wblle we stlll bao tbe recoroer
(wblcb, lncloentally, bao workeo tlawlessly). Tbe
weatber was stlll calm ano on tbe Sunoay mornlng |
was orawn back to 8raoa to oo some more recorolng
on my own, | recoroeo some ot tbe lnolvlouals wltb my
retlector, ln case we neeoeo to oo any patcblng up, ano
some stereo amblences, just because.
Otber projects took up my tlme tor a wblle
ano lt was [uly betore | coulo contlnue wltb Marcus'
stutt. Atter settlng up a rougb ml, wltb tbe stereo
spreao corresponolng approlmately to tbe mlc
placement on slte, tbe cboruses sounoeo very nlce
wben llsteneo to as cboruses. Our net task was to
select a passage wltb as many lnolvlouals (trom a gooo
varlety ot specles) recoroeo cleanly ano olscretely on
oltterent cbannels: atter a week ot llstenlng ano notlng
tlmlngs ano lnolvlouals on oltterent cbannels, |
appreclateo tbe enormlty ot tbls task. |t's a very slow
process: you llsten to sbort passages ensemble, tben go
back tbrougb tbe same balt mlnute or so sololng
oltterent cbannels. Wltb muslc tbls sort ot tblng ls
relatlvely easy: you know tbe bl-bat ls on a partlcular
cbannel corresponolng to tbe mlc placeo close to tbe
source. Wltb moblle blros, otten slnglng a llttle way ott
trom any partlcular mlc ano spllllng tbrougb to several
cbannels, tbls was mucb more lnvolveo.
We trleo some eperlments slowlng oown
recorolngs ot oltterent specles. Some specles sucb as
robln ano wren neeoeo to be sloweo at least 16 tlmes



to brlng tbelr songs lnto tbe range ot a buman volce,
tbls meant tbat any lnolvloual slnglng tor a tull 10
mlnutes woulo proouce a 160-mlnute mooel tor a
buman slnger - a tall oroer. |t was also clear tbat,
altbougb any sllgbt overlap between two blros at
normal speeo olon't cause too mucb olttlculty ln
tollowlng one lnolvloual's pattern, at tbe slower speeo
lt was generally lmposslble.
We qulckly rejecteo tbe cborus trom tbe more
woooeo slte at Pawston slnce tbere was just too mucb
splllage ano overlapplng between tracks. Tbe cbolce
was between Foro Moss ano 8raoa: Foro was more
spaclous wltb reasonably gooo separatlon, but not
mucb blackblro song, wbereas 8raoa bao a really gooo
representatlve cborus, tbougb lt was olttlcult to assess
tbe separatlon wltbout actually golng tbrougb ano
worklng on tbe tracks.
|n tbe eno we went tor 8raoa malnly because
ot tbe quallty ot tbe 'turolne' cborus, tbe turoloae
make up tbe tbrusb tamlly, lncluolng blackblro, song
tbrusb ano robln, wblcb are tbe maln slngers ln tbe real
oawn cborus. At tbe peak ot tbe tlrst wave ot tbe last
8raoa cborus tbere bao been tbree lnolvloual
blackblros slnglng ln our arena. We also oecloeo tbat,
ratber tban slmply use one 10 mlnute sectlon, wblcb
woulo sbow llmlteo oynamlc oevelopment, we'o use
several sborter sectlons trom oltterent tlmes tbrougb
tbe tull mornlng cborus beglnnlng at oawn, wblcb
woulo sbow more varlety ano reveal tbe cbanglng
pbases ot tbe tull oawn cborus.
|t mlgbt bave been easler lt we'o useo Foro
Moss, slnce lt proveo very olttlcult to oerlve clean
tracks trom lnolvlouals (tbe wrens get everywbere!).
We bao to resort to our bottom-llne satety net ano
substltute cleaner songs ln some places, trylng to
matcb tbe orlglnal wltb a slmllar verse ot tbe same blro
trom elsewbere ln our recorolngs. |'o known all along
tbat wbat we'o almeo tor was an loeal ano we'o bave
to oo some substltutlon ln tbe eno. 8ut wbat an loeal -
to reveal tbe tull llve lnteractlon ot a communlty ot
blros slnglng counterpolnt, wltbln ano between specles
- tbe rlcb lnterplay ot sbareo pbrases, mlmlcry ano
asslmllatlon proouclng tbe subtle, oynamlc evolutlon ot
tbemes tbat cbaracterlses a real oawn cborus.


Geoff Sample is a musician and wildlife sound recordist. He is an
acknowledged expert on bird song and has a particular interest in
the ecology of acoustic communication.

He is the author of six books on wildlife and sound, published by
HarperCollins, and runs his own CD label, Wildsong, as an outlet
for his bird song and natural soundscape recordings. He has
produced a series of audio guides for the British Trust for
Ornithology and Scottish Natural Heritage and supplies sound for
film, TV, radio and installations.

As an active practitioner in an area that combines aesthetics and
science, he is increasingly involved in collaborative projects with
visual artists and musicians, including Marcus Coates, Harriet
McDougall, Clodagh Simonds and Evan Parker.

32


































































































" # $%#&'()*+"%#
," +-
.*($/) $%*+')
We interviewed Marcus Coates to discuss Dawn Chorus, shamanic rituals, Deleuze and Guattaris
theory of becoming animal, bird-watching and Japan.
Questions by Giovanni Aloi

!"#$%& ()"*+&
Journey to the Lower World, Beryl, Nick David, 2004.
33



!" $!%&'('$!%)*& %+"* ', -.")'/%01
20%/*&3 $&*4( * +",%0%01 5'&" %0 4'65
7'589 2( %: (""/( )&"*5 :!*: * +""$
80'7&"+1" *0+ $*((%'0 ,'5 *0%/*&( %( *: :!"
)'5" ', 4'65 $5*):%)" 7" 7"5" 7'0+"5%01 %,
4'6 (!*5" ;"&"6<" *0+ =6*::*5%3( >%"7( '0 :!"
(6?@"): '5 7!":!"5 4'6 /*4 ?" 7'58%01 :'7*5+
0"7 +",%0%:%'0( ', :!" )'0)"$:A

My knowleoge ano passlon tor 8rltlsb wllollte bas
become an artlstlc tool. Tbe work lsn't necessarlly
about blros or anlmals, tbey are a veblcle tor looklng at
bumanness. 8ecomlng anlmal suggests a progresslon
trom one state ot belng to anotber, trom one's
consclousness to anotber's specltlcally to tbat ot a
oltterent specles. Tbe attempteo leap between tbese ls
ot lnterest to me. One sklll | bave oevelopeo ano lt ls
probably tbe reason wby | cbose to be an artlst ls tbe
consclous stuoy ano practlse ot movlng between
personas ano posltlons ot loentltlcatlon. Tbls along wltb
an lnterest ln natural blstory bas leo me to aoopt
'becomlng anlmal' as a lnvestlgatlve oevlce. More
recently | bave lookeo at tbe blstorlcal use tor
becomlng anlmal partlcularly sbamanlsm ano bave
starteo to employ tbls 'sklll' ln soclety as a olrect
benetlt tor communltles.

B'6 ?"&%">" %0 :!" $'((%?%&%:4 ', *)!%">%01 *
&">"& ', $5'C%/%:4 7%:! *0%/*&( 7!%)! /*4
!"&$ :!" *?*0+'0%01 ', '0"( )'0()%'6(0"(( %0
'5+"5 :' "0:"5 :!*: ', :!" *0%/*&9 D( .")'/%01
20%/*& ('/":!%01 :!*: !*( :' (:*5: ,5'/ *
$!4(%)*& &">"&A

Surely lt's lmposslble to abanoon one's consclousness,
but | am eclteo by tbe oegrees to wblcb elements ot
an anlmals eperlence ot 'belng' mlgbt posslbly be
sbareo by us, a cross specles consclousness. Tbe loea
ot tbls lnevltably questlons bow we set tbe cultural
oetlnltlons ot buman eperlence.
Tbe pbyslcal posltlon ls an obvlous ano unoenlable
startlng polnt trom wblcb to eplore tbls commonallty.
|t ls perbaps a posltlon trom wblcb we eplore
everytblng relatlonally. Maybe we bave a genetlc
pbyslcal knowleoge tbat we bave lost taltb ln. For
Dawn Cborus, tbe startlng polnt ot vocallsatlon ls tbe
result ot a baslc common eperlence - tbe pbyslcal
retle ot breatblng ano tbe alr passlng tbrougb tbe
volce bo (altbougb tbese oltter ln bumans ano blros).
Tbe torm ot our vocallsatlons seem to bave evolveo to
be remarkably slmllar perbaps because ot sbareo
tunctlonallty, blros bave contact calls, alarm calls,
terrltory song, tbey attract ano stlmulate mates wltb
song. However lt ls tbe realm beyono obvlous tunctlon
tbat our vocallsatlons become lnterestlng to me. Some
blros tor lnstance tbe Amerlcan 8lue [ay slng ln tbelr
sleep, some blros as we wltnesseo ourlng tbe tlelowork
embelllsbeo tbelr songs wltb sucb complelty tbat we
woulo struggle not to call lt muslcal. Durlng tbese



oawn recorolng sesslons Geott Sample was able to
polnt out so many ot tbe tasclnatlng oynamlcs
occurrlng between tbe blros. | woulo bear a Robln
(well wbat | tbougbt was a robln) but Geott polnteo
out lt was a blackcap lmltatlng a robln. Tbls blro tben
took elements ot tbe robln song ano mleo tbem ln
wltb lts own, lt was as lt lt bao gone beyono mlmlcry
ano was taltbtully stlcklng to lts own song, but slnglng
'ln tbe style ot' a robln. A blt llke a classlcal slnger,
slnglng an arla ln tbe style ot Frank Slnatra. Tbe pbyslcal
level ls always a startlng polnt ano tben beyono tbls |'m
playlng wltb sclentltlc tbeorles ano romantlc
speculatlon.

;*70 E!'56( (65"&4 %( '0" ', :!" /'(:
(65$5%(%01&4 ,*()%0*:%01 7'58( ', *5: ', :!" &*(:
,"7 4"*5(9 D0 4'65 5")"0: :*&8 *: F!%:")!*$"&
25: =*&&"54 4'6 /"0:%'0"+ :!*: ;*70 E!'56(
:''8 * ,"7 4"*5( :' /*8"9 G'7 +%+ :!" %+"*
)'/" *?'6:A

|'ve been wantlng to work wltb tbls natural pbenomena
tor about ten years ano bave maoe otber work tbat
relates olrectly. | maoe a couple ot sbort tllms tor
Cbannel Four ano Grlzeoale calleo Dawn Cborus ano
Out ot Season ln 2000 wblcb teatureo a tootball
supporter slnglng bls terrace cbants ln tbe torest at
oawn. Tbls lookeo at one aspect ot tbe sclentltlc
oetlnltlon ot tbe blrosong oawn cborus as a tunctlonal
lnstlnct to oetlne terrltory. Male blros use song to
oeteno ano oetlne terrltory employlng louo ano
aggresslve meloolc pbraslng, repetltlon, lmprovlsatlon
ano sbowlng tbelr colours to warn ano slgnal tbelr
strengtb to otber males ano tbelr vlrlllty to temales - |
saw an analogy ln tbe use ot song by tootball
supporters.
At tbe tlme | was also lnvestlgatlng our pbyslcal
capaclty to create sounos ano comparlng buman
vocallsatlons to otber specles.
|n 1999 | was worklng wltb tbe tempo ano pltcb ot
blrosong recorolngs ano touno tbat lt you slow tbem
oown to a certaln speeo tbe songs come lnto tbe pltcb
range ot tbe buman volce.
| bave maoe a number ot tllms wbere | bave
tllmeo myselt ano otbers copylng tbls sloweo-oown
song ano tben by speeolng tbe tllm up to tbe orlglnal
blro speeo you get a very accurate buman renoltlon ot
blrosong ano colncloently blro llke movements:
Local 8lros (Allenbeaos Contemporary Arts) 2001, A
Guloe to tbe 8rltlsb Non-Passerlnes (Wyslng Arts)
2002, Resloents (Furtber Up ln tbe Alr, Llverpool)
2003, volces ot Toge (Grlzeoale Arts, [apan) 2006.
| bao always wanteo to apply tbls process to tbe blro
song Dawn Cborus to attempt to recreate tbls mass
ensemble wltb bumans ano provloe a unlque walk
tbrougb eperlence tbat coulo be revlslteo ano stuoleo.
|t wasn't untll | met Geott Sample (wllollte souno
recorolst) ano tben teameo up wltb Plcture Tbls ano
tbe Wellcome Trust tbat tbe ambltlon ot sucb a
H
34






























project coulo be reallseo. From beglnnlng to eno tbe
project took at least 3 years. |t was so comple
because we so accurately repllcateo an actual oawn
cborus trom one mornlng, ln one locatlon
(Nortbumberlano). | coulo bave useo pre recoroeo
blrosong ano tbe vlewer probably woulon't bave
notlceo but lt was lmportant tor me to be as autbentlc
as posslble, to create a unlque recoro tbat occurreo ln
tbe wllo. Tbls maoe tbe role ano accuracy ot tbe
buman volces even more crltlcal ano slgnltlcant. Tbe
proouctlon ot tbe work (manageo by Plcture Tbls) was
etremely tlme lntenslve: tbe tlelo work, tbe auolo
eoltlng, researcblng ano auoltlonlng tbe slngers, tllmlng
tbe slngers, tbe vloeo eoltlng ano lastly tbe proouctlon
ot tbe eblbltlon - a 14 screen vloeo lnstallatlon wltb
syncbronlseo projectlons.

!"# %& '(# )*"+#,) -(% '%%. /0,' *" '(# &*12*"+
%& 30-" 4(%,5) )0*6 7 8 *20+*"#6 29)#1& 0) 0
:10;.:*,6 %" 0 )/,*"+ 2%,"*"+< =#,9 #0,19 *" 0
(*+( /10;#< (0=*"+ '(0' &,##6%2 "%' '% '(*".
:5' >5)' '% 1#' '(# )%5"6 ;%2# %5'? @*'( '(0'
;02# )%2# *"'#,#)'*"+ 2%=#2#"') A 8 -0)
;%;.*"+ 29 (#06 '% 1%%. ,%5"6? 8 &#1' ,#0119
)/0;#6 %5'? @(#" 8 &*"*)(#6 8 -0) 2*1#) 0-09?B
30-" 4(%,5) :,*"+) '% '(# )5,&0;# 0" 5";0""9
;%2/0,*)%" :#'-##" (520" 0"6 :*,6
10"+50+#? 8" 6%*"+ )% *' 01)% (*+(1*+(') '(0'
10"+50+# *) "%' 2#,#19 0 20''#, %& /,%65;*"+
0"6 6#;%6*"+ 2#0"*"+ :5' '(0' '(# /,%65;'*%"
%& 2#0"*"+ *) 01)% :%5"6 '% )/#;*&*;
0"0'%2*;01 2%,/(*)2)? C%, #D02/1# '(# )/##6






























0' -(*;( :*,6) /,%65;# '(#*, )%"+ *) "%'
;%2/0,0:1# '% '(0' /%))*:1# '% (520")? 8) '(*)
)%2#'(*"+ 9%5 -0"'#6 '% (*+(1*+(' -*'( '(#
-%,. %, *) *' )%2#'(*"+ 9%5 "%'*;#6 %";# '(#
/,%>#;' -0) &*"*)(#6E

Once | bao sloweo tbe songs to buman pltcb ano askeo
tbe slngers to copy tbe sounos lt became evloent tbat
tbe slngers were not just copylng tbe sounos but were
uslng small gaps to take breatbs ln tbe same places tbe
blros bao oone, tbey were also movlng ln partlcular
ways l.e. ln a specles specltlc way to generate some ot
tbe unusual sounos. |t was as lt by slowlng oown tbe
blrosong to a buman scale tbe blros pbyslcal
cbaracterlstlcs neeoeo to make tbose sounos became
scale to a bumans pbyslcallty. Tbe blro lung capaclty
bao now become tbe buman lung capaclty, tbe
breatblng rate became slmllar, tbe beao ano cbest
movements became comparable ano so on. Tbe slngers
also bao to pertorm tbls song tor up to 2 bours
(resultlng ln 8 mlnutes wben speo up), tbe
concentratlon ano enourance requlreo tor mlmlcklng
tbe blro sounos over tbls perloo meant tbe slngers
coulo not mentally sustaln a consclous lnterpretatlon, lt
became very lnstlnctlve. Perbaps tbls ls wby some ot
tbe slngers telt lt was tbe closest tbey woulo get to
knowlng wbat lt ls llke to be a song tbrusb or
blackblro. Tbey bao been taklng tbe same breatbs ano
maklng tbe same sounos but on a oltterent scale.
Tbe entlre project createo a tountaln ot speculatlon -
wbetber tbe speeo at wblcb we engage wltb our
surrounolngs coulo be tbe measure ot our relatlve

Marcus Coates
Linnet, Screen captures from Dawn Chorus, 2007

35



consclousness (to otber specles). Also, bow bas our
language ano muslc been lntluenceo by blrosong.

!"#$%&'%()'*+ -*("-+%./ '*($."0"/1 #0)1& )
+*2%.%./ -"0* %. 3)4. 5$"-6&7 8)-)+"9%()001 %'
&**:& '$)' ;:)($%.*&< (".&'%'6'* ) :*+%6:
'$)' (). =-%./ 6& (0"&*- '" ).%:)0&7 >& '$)' ".*
"2 '$* #"&&%=0* -*)+%./& "2 3)4. 5$"-6&?

Tbe olgltal tecbnology belpeo us to bear tbe
slmllarltles, ano to allow a buman access to anotber
specles mooe ot bebavlour. Across many traoltlonal
cultures tbe role ot becomlng anlmal bas been
necessary ano valueo. Tbese cultures bave been aware
ot tbe lnberent connectlon we bave wltb blrosong ano
tbe power ot mlmlcry ano muslcallty to lntorm tbelr
llves. | tblnk tecbnology ls belplng us to reolscover tbls.

@"6- 4"-A $)& =**. +*&(-%=*+ %. ) .6:=*- "2
"(()&%".& )& =*%./ ; B6%.'*&&*.'%)001 C-%'%&$<7
D"4 %:#"-').' %& '$* %+*) "2 C-%'%&$.*&& %.
1"6- 4"-A?

Dawn Cborus ls as mucb a portralt ot 8rltlsb soclety as
lt ls about blros. | recognlse tbat | am a proouct ot
8rltaln ln so tar as my senslblllty, bumour ano cultural
reterences are all lmportant tools ot my work.
Natlonallty ls also lmportant to my work because lt
relates to belonglng ano tbe loea ot belng lnolgenous or
to a romantlc sense ot source bowever perversely.
8ecomlng as a cultural concept ls llnkeo to tbls ano so
tbe loea ot 8rltlsbness ls tuel tor me.

@"6 -*E4"-A*+ 3)4. 5$"-6& %. F)#).7 D"4
+%+ '$)' :)A* 3)4. 5$"%- +%22*-*.'?

| maoe a slngle screen verslon calleo volces ot Toge
wltb Grlzeoale Arts teaturlng people trom a small rlce
tarmlng vlllage nortb ot Tokyo calleo Toge. Uslng a
slmllar process tbey pertormeo [apanese blrosong. |t
was a rewarolng plece ot work because ot tbe
reactlons ot oellgbt ano olsbellet trom tbe auolence ano
partlclpants, wblcb seems to be eactly tbe same
anywbere lts sbown. 8ecause lt reters to language but
on sucb a elemental level lt resonates especlally
between people trom oltterent parts ot tbe worlo.


3)4. 5$"-6& 4)& *9$%=%'*+ %. )-' /)00*-%*& )&
4*00 )& )' '$* G*&'%H)0 "2 C%-+& )' !'7 I*"-/*&<7
3%+ '$* )6+%*.(* -*(*#'%". "2 '$* #%*(*
($)./* )(("-+%./ '" '$* *9$%=%'%./ &#)(*?

Dawn Cborus as a multl screen lnstallatlon bas only
been eblblteo at tbe 8altlc Centre tor Contemporary
Art ano at Plcture Tbls ln 8rlstol, tbe auolence reactlon
seems to be unlversal.





J' '$* ')0A 1"6 /)H* )' K$%'*($)#*0 J-'
I)00*-1 1"6 -*()00*+ $"4 1"6 ).+ 1"6- =-"'$*-
6&* '" /" '" ) &:)00 4""+0).+ (0"&* '" 1"6-
$"6&* '" #-)('%(* =%-+E4)'($%./7 K$1 )-*
=%-+& &" 2)&(%.)'%./?

We bave a paraoolcal relatlonsblp wltb blros
On one bano we are so slmllar: very comple
vocallsatlon patterns, nestlng, matlng tor llte, use ot
song, sbare llvlng space blros aoapteo to cltles,
nestlng ln bouses etc, our tolklore ano culture ls so
llnkeo to blros, blros are slgnltlers ot season cbange
etc.
On tbe otber tbey coulon't be more oltterent: tbey
bave teatbers ano beaks ano tbey tly!
Culturally artlsts ano poets bave playeo on tbls, blros
are a symbol ot unattalnable asplratlon wblle belng
tamlllar ano present enougb to loentlty wltb ano
antbropomorpblse. We sbare so mucb ot our llves
wltb tbem but we are so tar trom unoerstanolng
everytblng about tbem.


Marcus Coates' practice has continually questioned the
ways in which we relate to other species. His
film/performance process aims to re-present definitions
of humanness through the investigation of cross species
consciousness. Coates has exhibited nationally and
internationally exhibitions and projects in 2006 include
British Art Show 6, Liverpool Biennial, Bucharest
Biennial, Romania, Israeli Centre for Digital Art,
Holon, Israel and a Grizedale Arts project in Toge and
Tokyo, Japan.



















Antennae would like to thank Anthony Spira, curator at
Whitechapel Art Gallery for his help over this project.

Marcus Coates was interviewed by Antennae in the
Autumn of 2007.


36

















































































































"#$ % %"&&"'&(
)*+,- .,$/.'&

I Almost Every Picture is one of the most original underground photographic ever published.
Relying on the unanimity of the found and vernacular photography Kessels work invites us to look at
images in a new way. We interviewed Erik Kessels to discuss two books from the series focusing on
animals.
Text by Eric Frank, questions by Giovanni Aloi

"#$% &'((')(
In Almost Every Picture #3, Front Cover, 2005

37




































rlk Kessels ls creatlve olrector ot communlcatlon
agency KesselsKramer baseo ln Amsteroam. Slnce
lt was tounoeo ln 1996 tbe agency bas olstlngulsb
ltselt tor tbe blgb quallty ot tbelr proouctlon, tbe sbock
tactlc assoclateo wltb tbelr campalgns ano also because
ot an lrreverent creatlve streak tbat permeates
everytblng tbey oo. Apart trom concelvlng
KesselsKremer mlscblevous campalgns, Lrlk Kessels
cultlvates a sopblstlcateo lnteresteo tor pbotograpby,
wblcb be concretlzes ln tbe publlsblng ot cballenglng
volumes at tlmes tourlng ln tbe tormat ot eblbltlons.
Most recently, tbe publlsblng ot a serles ot
books calleo '|n Almost Lvery Plcture' bas accloentally
(?) lnvolveo tbe presence ot anlmals. Tbe serles
publlsbeo ln 2007 comprlses ot tlve books gatberlng
serles ot touno pbotograpbs. For Kessels tbe touno
pbotograpb ls a partlcularly lnterestlng art object.
'|n Almost Lvery Plcture #3' presents
pbotograpbs taken at nlgbt ln tbe wlloerness. A motlon
oetector tbat opens tbe sbutter ot a blooen camera
lnstantly wben sometblng walks by takes tbe lmages.
Tbe result ls a serles ot pbotograpblc selt-portralts
taken by oeer ln a worlo we seloom see. Tbe lmages
capture tbese anlmals ano brlng us tace to tace wltb
tbem ln a suooen, unepecteo tlasb. Founo
pbotograpbs present




































layers ot mystery tbat cballenge our vlews ot tbe
worlo. Tbe representatlon ot anlmals ln '|n Almost
Lvery Plcture #3' belgbtens tbe level ot mystery tbat
touno-pbotograpby usually lnvolves. Does tbe bermetlc
presence ot anlmals result ln tbe epltome ot touno-
pbotograpby?
'|n Almost Lvery Plcture #5' ls a serles maoe
by tbe owners ot a speclal ano pbotogenlc Dalmatlan
oog. Tbe beauty ot tbe Dalmatlan, lts pbyslque,
colourlng ano olsposltlon, make ber outstanolng. Over
tbe oog's lltetlme, ber owners were tasclnateo wltb
bow well sbe lookeo ln pbotograpbs even
eperlmentlng wltb oltterent styles ano tllm stock. We
see ber ln many locatlons as tbe central subject ln
almost every plcture ano we look tor ber over ano
over agaln even wben otber people or oogs enter tbe
trame. We watcb as a beloveo member ot tbe tamlly
grows up ano accompanles ber owners ln tbelr llte's
journey.
We lntervleweo Lrlk Kessels to olscuss tbese
two volumes ln tbe serles.

"#$%& '(#)#*+,'(- ,+. /0,*.- #1 , '.2$3/,+
4/%&5 ,- )(.6 ,+. %.7.+ 0.,%) )# 8. 7/.9.&
,%& /%).+'+.).& 86 )#),3 -)+,%*.+-: ;(,)
-),+).& 6#$+ /%).+.-) /% 1#$%&<'(#)#*+,'(-=
L

Lrlk Kessels
In Almost Every Picture #3, 2005

38






































Slnce | work as an art-olrector, | work wltb ano select
a lot ot lmages maoe by otber pbotograpbers. Tbat's
wby | teel more comtortable wltb otber people's
pbotograpbs tban tbe one's | maoe myselt. Tbe lnterest
tor touno pbotograpbs starteo wben | touno people's
prlvate belonglngs at tlea markets. |t's a strange
pbenomenal tbat bunoreos ot peoples prlvate
pbotograpbs eno on a publlc space llke a tlea market.

!"# %&'()* +,-./ 012*3.-4 2(3&5 6- 5-)2.16-5 7)
7 ,(/-3.1)*12 2(&&-2*1(# (8 81,- '(#(*9-'7*12
6((:); <=( (8 *9-)- 8(23) (# 7#1'7&)> 7#
-,-.?@.-)-#* A7&'7*17# 7#5 =1&5 5--.;
") *9- @.-)-#2- (8 7#1'7&) 1# *9- )-.1-) 7
2(1#215-#2- (. 7 27&23&7*-5 1#2&3)1(#B

Tbls ls purely a colncloence. Tbe narratlve always tells
an emotlonal, tunny or sao story. Tbe serles lnvolves
everytblng tbat belongs to llte, so anlmals also belong,
one way or tbe otber, ln tbls serles.

C9-.- 515 /(3 81#5 *9- @9(*(D.7@9) 8(. !"#
%&'()* +,-./ 012*3.- EF4 7#5 =97* '75- /(3
5-215- *( 3)- *9-' 8(. *9- )-.1-)B



| bave a buge collectlon ot pboto albums ano prlvate
pbotograpbs tbat | sometlmes look back at ano
olscover new storles ln. 8ut nowaoays people are
more aware ot my work ano rlng me to otter
lnterestlng serles. Not a lot ot tbem are sultable tor
publlsblng. Tbe album ot tbe woman wltb tbe
Dalmatlan came trom a German glrl calleo Marlon
8lobmeyer. Sbe sboweo tbe album to Martln Parr atter
one ot bls lectures. He got us ln contact. Tbe
remarkable tblng about tbe album was tbe tact tbat tbe
owner ot tbe oog maoe an album oeolcateo to tbe oog.
You tlno tbls aooratlon back ln tbe pbotograpbs sbe
took ot tbe oog. Anotber tunny oetall lles ln tbe tact
tbat ln about 15 years tbe owner ot tbe oog useo once
a roll ot black ano wblte tllm. Sometblng loglcal to oo
wben you're tbe owner ot a black ano wblte oog.

C97* 5(-) !"# %&'()* +,-./ 012*3.- EF4 .-,-7&
76(3* *9- 5(D 7#5 1*) .-&7*1(#)91@) =1*9 (*9-.
87'1&/ '-'6-.)B

To my loea tbe oog was bougbt atter tbe klos lett tbe
bouse ot tbelr parents. Tbls ls sometblng you bear
trequently. Also people tbat can't get bables mostly buy
a oog to replace a baby. Tbls ls tbe case ln tbe tlrst '|n
almost every plcture' book.
Anotber tblng tbat's a blt mysterlous ls tbe loentlty ot
tbe pbotograpber. |s lt ln tbls case tbe women's
busbano or ls lt always someone else. Ano lt lt ls tbe
busbano, wby ooes be never want to get pbotograpbeo
wltb tbe oog? Tbe maln loea beblno a lot ot tbese
publlcatlons ls also tbat tbe vlewers can come up wltb
tbese scenarlos tbemselves.

!"# %&'()* +,-./ 012*3.- EG4 @.-)-#*) 7
)36)*7#*17& 5-@7.*3.- 8.(' *9- )*/&1)*12 7#5
2(#*-H*37& 7@@.(729 (8 *9- .-)* (8 *9- )-.1-);
<9- #1D9**1'- 1'7D-) 1#2&35-5 1# *91) ,(&3'-
=-.- *7:-# 1# *9- =((5) =1*9 7 27'-.7 *97*
5-*-2*) '(*1(#; %) 7 .-)3&*I *9- )-.1-) (88-.) 7
297&&-#D1#D 2.())(,-. (8 5(23'-#*7.1)*12 7#5
)3..-7&1)* 1'7D-.1-); %.- *9-)- 7&)( 8(3#5
@9(*(D.7@9)B

| touno tbese lmages on tbe |nternet. 8y colncloence |
lookeo at a page ot a bunter trom Teas. He bao one
ot tbese lmages on bls slte. | got lntrlgueo by lt ano
touno out tbat a lot ot bunters bave tbese lmages as
some sort ot lllustratlon on tbelr slte. Otber tban tbat
tbey only use tbe lmages to tlno out at wbat tlme tbe
most oeer pass on tbls specltlc spot. A lot ot lmages
bave a tlme ano oate lmprlnt.

C97* =-.- *9- 2.1*-.17 6-91#5 *9- 81#7&
)-&-2*1(# 8(. *9-)- 1'7D-)B

| trleo to sbow as mucb varlety as posslble, but also
sbow a sequence ot pbotograpbs maoe at one spot.
Otber tban tbat | sbow mostly nlgbt lmages, jus
Lrlk Kessels
In Almost Every Picture #5, 2005

39











"#$% &'((')(
In Almost Every Picture #5, 2005

40



because tbese tlt better wltb tbe loea tbat tbey are
caugbt ano surprlseo by a tlasb.
|t's lmportant tor me to use a certaln sequence
ot lmages outsloe tbelr orlglnal content. |n tbls way
people look at tbem ln a 'new' way. Tbe orlglnal lmages
are never maoe wltb tbe lntentlon to eno up ln a book
or an eblbltlon. Founo pbotograpby on lt's own ls not
tbat lnterestlng, a lot ot tlmes lt's tull ot cllcbs.


!"#$# &"'(')*+&"$ ,+&(-*# ("# .##* /0
$-..#01 -0#2&#,(#. 34+$" ,*#+(/0) +0
-0,'05#0(/'0+4 $#*/#$ '3 &'*(*+/($6 7' 8'-
("/09 ("# .##* .#5#4'&#. +0 +:+*#0#$$ '3 ("#
,+;#*+<

| oon't tblnk tbey oevelop an awareness ot tbe camera,
but tbe oeer are ln a way tbe pbotograpbers
tbemselves. Tbey make tbelr own selt-portralts.


=>0 ?4;'$( @5#*8 A/,(-*# BCD &*#$#0($ +0/;+4$
("+( +( (/;#$ 4''9 '("#*:'*4.481 0+E5#1
,"/4.4/9# +0. #5#0 $';#(/;#$ $&''986 7' 8'-
("/09 ("# ,+;#*+ "#4&$ /0 *#5#+4/0) ("#$#
+0/;+4$ '* ,'0(*/F-(#$ (' + &*',#$$ '3
;8$(/3/,+(/'0<

Tbe tact tbat tbey set ot tbe sbutter ot tbe camera
tbemselves ano tbat tbls ls totally not epecteo belps a
lot. Tbere ls no pbotograpber lnvolveo so tbe cropplng
ot a lot ot lmages ls very 'tree' wblcb makes tbese
lmages very speclal.

Erik Kessels is Creative Director of Amsterdam based
communication agency KesselsKramer, working for
national and international clients such as Diesel,
Oxfam, Ben and The Hans Brinker Budget Hotel for
which he has won numerous international awards. He
is a photography collector and has published several
books of his 'collected' images; Missing Link (1999),
Instant Men' (2000), 'in almost every picture' (2001,
2003, 2004, 2006) and Wonder (2006). Since 2000,
hes been an editor of the alternative photography
magazine Useful Photography. He has curated
exhibitions such as 'Dutch Delight' at Foam
(Photography Museum Amsterdam) and
Confrontation at the Institut Nerlandais (Paris).
Recently he made the exhibition Loving Your Pictures
at the Centraal Museum Utrecht (The Netherlands) with
a wide variety of found photography material. Kessels
has taught communication at the Hallo Academy
Amsterdam and photography at the Gerrit Rietveld
Academy in Amsterdam.

For more information please visit:
www.kesselskramer.com
Erik Kessels was interviewed by Antennae in the
Summer of 2007



























































Antennae would like to thank Sam Trenerry, press
officer at the Photographers Gallery London for the
help given over this project.

Lrlk Kessels
In Almost Every Picture #3, 2005

Lrlk Kessels
In Almost Every Picture #5, 2005

41





















































bere can we tlno tbe relatlonsblps ot tree
to lumber, soll to plastlc, ano cellulose to
steel? Over tbe past 10 years | bave maoe lt
my work to eplore tbe many posslble answers to
tbese questlons. vla botb tbree ano two-olmenslonal
meola | bave enoeavoureo to tap lnto tbe semlotlc,
sclentltlc, ano blstorlcal connectlons between tbe
natural worlo ano tbe objects tbat bumans construct.












































8y conjurlng tbe buman presence ln tbe absence ot tbe
tlgure tbe soul ano tbe lano tlno a place to botb
commune ano collloe.
Developlng wbat seems at tbe epense ot
wbat ls ls a meoltatlon on man's lntellectual
arrogance. Tbe prlmary structure ls bullt ot steel ano
mlrror. |t's torm ls a grapblc syntbesls ot an Lngllsb
conservatory, an autopsy table, ano a laoy's vanlty.

W
!"#$
&'(()(#*' +#
*+''(
Scott Silvey is an internationally known artist whose work investigates different processes of
becoming. Here he introduces three different works dealing with the subject of plants.
Text by Scott Silvey

Scott Sllvey
Developing what seems at the expenses of what is, steel, mirror, mahogany, walnut, 4.5ft x 6ft. x 11ft., 1998
42



































Slttlng atop tbe table portlon ot tbe torm ls an Atrlcan
vlolet carveo ot mabogany ano walnut. Tbe prlmary
structure ot tbe plece alluoes to mucb ot bumanklno's
oeslre to manlpulate ano control nature accorolng to
lt's own purposes. Tbe conservatory ls a place to
olsplay plants, tbe autopsy table ls a remlnoer ot
olssectlon ano genetlc englneerlng, ano tbe vanlty ls
oeslgneo to belp us teel better about ourselves. 8elng
one ot tbe most common ot oomestlcateo bouseplants,
tbe Atrlcan vlolet oemonstrates tbe buman
consumptlon ot tbe natural worlo. At tbe neus ot
tbese alluslons tbe central questlon | am poslng
becomes evloent, are we engaglng ln genetlc
englneerlng ano otber torms ot blologlcal manlpulatlon
because lt wlll truly benetlt tbe worlo we llve ln, or
ratber, just because we can?
Nourlsbeo by cbange represents tbe bono
between tbe statlc ano tbe klnetlc. Fabrlcateo trom
steel, (one ot tbe most baslc ot mooern bullolng
materlals,) tblrty-elgbt corn plants ln varlous states ot
growtb sprout trom a tlelo ot torty-nlne sultcases.
8elng a graln-bearlng plant, corn ls a staple tooo ln
mucb ot tbe worlo. 8y etenslon tbese plants are a
symbol ot olet ltselt ano tbe llte-glvlng routlne lt
necessltates. Tbe sultcases tben are a representatlon ot
cbange ano movement. Tbe totallty ot tbe lnstallatlon




































comprlses a bomogenous lanoscape bullt trom tbese
supertlclally lrreconcllable loeas.
| am currently worklng on a project tltleo
Clvlc remeoles. Tbe arcbltectural lmagery ln tbese
acryllc ano carbon works on panel ls taken trom ln ano
arouno my Tokyo nelgbbourbooo. Wltbln a oecaylng
ano spectral resloentlal urban lanoscape | bave
renoereo varlous emblems ot consumptlon. venolng
macblnes, street lamps, electrlc poles, ano meters all
stano as sllent sentlnels amongst tbe places wbere
people once llveo. Ltracteo mostly trom ageo berbals
ano plctures | bave touno onllne, tbe only lnbabltants
now are mounos ot olrt ln wblcb meolclnal plants bave
germlnateo. |n all ot tbelr unlque ano sunory ways
tbese beallng berbs emerge to restore a worlo tbat bas
become slck.
Altbougb my work ls tasbloneo out ot concrete
researcb ano lnternally clear goals lt ls lntenoeo to act
more as a catalyst tor tbougbt tban any sort ot
proclamatlon or oloactlc lnstructlon. |t ls more
concerneo wltb lntroouclng relatlonsblps tban
oemonstratlng a tbesls. Llke many artlsts betore me my
oeslre ls to provloe a startlng polnt trom wblcb
contemplatlon, or slmply a moment ot pleasure, mlgbt
proceeo.



Scott Sllvey
Nourished by Change, steel, suitcase, soil, 49.5ft.x11 ft.x7.5 ft., 1999
43





























































































































!"#$$ !&'()*
Ginseng, from the series Civic Remedies, acrylic/carbon on panel, 2007
44























































































































Scott Silvey currently lives and works in Tokyo, Japan.
Originally from Indiana, Scott has an MFA in Sculpture from
Georgia State University and has shown his work in various
venues in the United States and Japan.




45



























rom nature to Form' ls tbe tltle ot a lavlsbly
lllustrateo volume publlsbeo tbls year on tbe
work ot Rene' 8lnet tbe Frencb arcbltect ano
oeslgner autbor ot Lsqulsses ocoratlves'. Tbe worlo's
entbuslasm tor Art Nouveau reacbeo lts ape at tbe
Worlo Falr ln Parls ln 1900. Tbere, Ren 8lnet createo
tbe maln entrance, 'La Porte Monumentale'. To
colncloe wltb tbe eblbltlon, 8lnet publlsbeo ln
!"#$%""&" ()*+,-%.&" (1896) tbe plate oeslgns tor tbe
gate, along wltb otber sketcbes ot turnlture, jewellery,
wallpaper, llgbtlng, stalneo glass, slgns, wrougbt lron
ano arcbltectural oetalls.
Tbe sketcbes tor !"#$%""&" /*+01 emlnent
German blologlst, naturallst, pbllosopber, pbyslclan,
protessor ano artlst ()*+,-%.&"1 )*22&)-&3 %4 -5%" .*2$6&
7+&"&4- -5& 7&+8&)- 6,++%,9& *8 4,-$+&1 ")%&4)&1 ,+- ,43
3&"%94 -5,- :%4&- ,""&6;2&3 /5%2"- %4"7%+&3 ;< !+4"-
=,&)0&2"! Tbe emlnent German naturallst ano blologlst
was also a pbllosopber, ano artlst ano amongst otber
tblngs nameo tbousanos ot new specles ano mappeo a
genealoglcal tree relatlng all llte torms.
We lntervleweo Robert Proctor, Protessor ot
Arcbltectural Hlstory at tbe Macklntosb Scbool ot
Arcbltecture ln Glasgow, wbo's one ot tbe two autbors
ot tbe book.

!"#$ &'()"* (# !#"$ "*+*',- (.* /'-012'(123
4"#/*--1#2', -5$61#-1- 6*(7**2 (.* '"0.1(*0(
8*2*9 :12*( '2; (.* -01*2(1-( <"2-( ='*0>*,?
@.*"* ;#*- #2* *2; '2; (.* #(.*" 6*312A

8lnet ano Haeckel remalneo tlrmly ln tbelr separate
tlelos, but ln eacb case lt ls wbat tbey absorbeo trom
otber olsclpllnes tbat transtormeo tbelr own. 8lnet




























approprlateo Haeckel's sclentltlc lllustratlons tor bls
own purposes: tbe arcbltect mentlons ln bls letters
tbat be woulo trequent tbe Natural Hlstory Museum to
leat tbrougb tbe plates ln Haeckel's 'Cballenger
Report', copylng tbe engravlngs lnto bls sketcbbook tor
later olgestlon ano use. He must bave oone tbe same
wltb otber sucb natural blstory books: | olscovereo
some ot bls source materlal ln Alcloe o'Orblgny's
Palontologle Franalse, a beautltully lllustrateo serles
ot volumes ot tossll taonomy lssueo tbrougbout tbe
nlneteentb century. 8lnet's book sbows a tasclnatlon
wltb all klnos ot anlmal ano plant, but bls greatest
lmportance ls ln bls etenslon ot tbls artlstlc researcb
lnto tbe tlelo ot mlcroscoplc llte. Tbls was sometblng
tbat bao been proposeo earller ln tbe nlneteentb
century, but not carrleo out betore on tbls scale or
wltb sucb entbuslasm. Wbat | also tlno so lnterestlng ls
tbat tbe ways ln wblcb sclence communlcateo ln tbls
perloo are wbat alloweo 8lnet to make sucb artlstlc
use ot lt. Haeckel ano otbers were prlmarlly concerneo
wltb tbe taonomy ot specles, oroerlng ano oescrlblng
nature (ln a system wblcb createo lts own
cbronologlcal, evolutlonary, settlng as tbe vlsual
elements lockeo lnto place). Tbe vlsual lmage was
tberetore etremely lmportant. Natural blstory books
bao metlculous tetual oescrlptlons ot every specles,
but tbanks to oevelopments ln book proouctlon ln tbe
nlneteentb century, tbe best way to make comparlsons
between specles was tbrougb tbe accurate ano tlne
oetall posslble wltb metal plate engravlngs. 8ooks sucb
as tbese were very epenslve, ano owneo by museums
ano unlversltles. Tbey bao a practlcal tunctlon ln
allowlng specles ln collectlons to be loentltleo ano
nameo, ano ln asslstlng sclentlsts ln tbe olscovery ano
labelllng ot new specles. Nevertbeless, botb ln tbelr
>?
!"#$
&'()"* (#
!#"$
A compelling synergic effort of science, technology, nature and art played a defining role in the
development of Rene Binets style. From Nature to Form, a recently published book by Prestel shows
how nature became design and architecture.
Questions by Eric Frank
46
































































































































"#$%& '()*+),
Selection of tables from Forms in Nature,1899-1904
47






























lmages ano ln tbelr lntroouctory tets, tbey are
etremely accesslble. Fllcklng tbrougb Haeckel's
'Cballenger Report' tooay ls stlll a maglcal eperlence:
page atter page ot etraorolnary ano enolessly olverse
ano comple abstract torms passes betore you. Ano
you can stlll reao tbe tet ano unoerstano, wltbout any
olttlcult termlnology, wbat a mlcroscoplc creature sucb
as tbe raololarlan ls: lts llte cycle, teeolng bablts,
nervous system, buoyancy mecbanlsm, ano even
Haeckel's own comments on tbe wonoers eperlenceo
ln observlng tbem, glowlng unoer tbe ocean's surtace at
nlgbt or olscovereo ln tbe muo oreogeo up trom tbe
ocean tloor. We also know tbat 8lnet bao bls own
polarlslng mlcroscope, tbe essentlal equlpment tor
seelng tbese creatures blmselt. My polnt bere, |
suppose, ls tbat lt was actually not very olttlcult to
become, or at least to lmaglne yourselt, a sclentlst: tbe
olsclpllne ot blology was openly avallable ano requlreo
llttle speclallst knowleoge to unoerstano lt.
Haeckel reacbeo out to art trom bls olsclpllne
ln a slmllar manner, above all wltb tbe Kunsttormen
(Art Forms ln Nature). He evloently saw tbe artlstlc
potentlal ln bls purely sclentltlc lmages, but tbe
Kunsttormen ooes not attempt to sbow wbat tbelr
appllcatlons mlgbt be. |t merely selects trom amongst
tbose lmages. Tbe appllcatlons are blnteo at by tbe
cbolces maoe: bummlngblros, tor eample, are
presumably lncluoeo less tor tbelr sbapes tban tor tbelr
vlvlo colour jutaposltlons, jellytlsb are so otten sbown
ln plan ano sectlon (tbelr tentacles caretully posltloneo
ano coloureo plnk) because tbey coulo be useo as
arcbltectural motlts, llke tbe palnteo celllng rose ln






























Haeckel's own bouse ln [ena. Otberwlse, everytblng ls
lett to tbe artlst. Nevertbeless, Haeckel's vlslon tor art
was tleo to tbe loglcal epanslon ot bls sclence lnto
every tlelo ot knowleoge: unllke Darwln, be accepteo
all tbe wloer lmpllcatlons ot evolutlon, ano proposeo a
rellglous vlew tbat woulo promote tbe unoerstanolng
ot man's bumble posltlon ln tbe natural worlo. Tbe
Kunsttormen was a small part ot tbat project, ano
tberetore attempteo to olrect tbe artlst oown tbls
patb. |t tbere ls any real brloge between tbe two men's
work, lt ls bere: lt ls clear tbat, even lt be only partlally
accepteo or unoerstooo Haeckel's pbllosopblcal vlews,
8lnet's Lsqulsses ocoratlves was to some etent an
eperlment ln puttlng tbem lnto practlce.

!"#$%#&'$ "#)"*+% ,- ./0*$$#$ 1#2,"3%*4#$ *$ %5#
-*"$% $*+2# 6789: ;+ <,0" #$$3< =# "#31 %53%
>#+# ?*+#% =3$ 0+$3%*$-*#1 =*%5 %5# &*@*%#1
343*&3A*&*%< ,- %5*$ =,"B 3+1 %53% 3$ 3 "#$0&%C
*%$ *+-&0#+2# ,+ $0A$#/0#+% D"% E,04#30 =3$
+#F&*F*A&#: G, <,0 A#&*#4# %5# "#)"*+% ,- 5*$
=,"B 2,0&1 )&3< 3+ *+-&0#+%*3& ",&# *+ %5#
-0%0"# ,- 1#$*F+ 3+1 3"25*%#2%0"#H

As a blstorlan ot arcbltecture, | woulo bave to leave
tbat questlon to my arcbltect colleagues. | tlno lt baro
to see tbe plates outsloe ot tbelr artlstlc contet.
Wblle bls work may not bave been well known, lt was
part ot a larger tenoency tbat resulteo ln slmllar work
elsewbere. Louls Sulllvan's arcbltecture was ln many
ways slmllar, styllstlcally ano ln lts ornamental prlnclple.
8lnet may well bave known ot Sulllvan, as some ot bls

Rene' 8lnet
Entrance to the World Exposition in Paris, 1900, inspired by Hackels drawings of radiolarians
48







oeslgns were publlsbeo by tbls tlme ano plaster casts
trom bls bullolngs were avallable ln Parls. Sulllvan may
bave known ot tbe Lsqulsses ocoratlves wben be
createo bls System ot Arcbltectural Ornament ln 1924,
wltb lts vlsual metapbors ot plant growtb applleo to
abstract torms, but be coulo just as well bave publlsbeo
tbls wltbout a knowleoge ot 8lnet. |n tbe same way,
D'Arcy Tbompson's On Growtb ano Form ot 1917
contlnueo Haeckel's loeas ano was eagerly aoopteo ln
many tlelos, not just arcbltectural oeslgn but also urban
analysls ano plannlng tbrougbout tbe twentletb century.
| woulo not wlsb to be oogmatlc ano say bow
oeslgners ano arcbltects sboulo or sboulo not look at
8lnet's Lsqulsses ocoratlves. 8ut | am susplclous ot
any metboo wblcb now uses vlsual torms ano justltles
tbem as relateo to some essentlal unoerlylng concepts
ln nature. Wbat 8lnet sboulo tell us ls bow blstorlcally
sltuateo tbat attltuoe ls. Wby, ln any case, sboulo lt be
lmportant to lmltate nature ln oeslgn? |t | wanteo to
tlno lnsplratlon ln 8lnet, | mlgbt consloer bls more
tunoamental metboos. |n tbat case | woulo want to
know sometblng about tbe state ot sclence tbe real
sclence wblcb oescrlbes tbe worlo ln new ways. Coulo







































mlcroblology, blocbemlstry, genetlcs, nuclear pbyslcs,
ano so on, provloe vlsual lmages wblcb oescrlbe tbelr
metboos ln tbe way tbat Haeckel's sclence olo? | oo
not mean vlsual lmages ot tbelr subjects so mucb as
vlsuallsable processes. |t woulo be easy enougb to
make a bullolng tbat lookeo llke a magnltleo vlrus. |t
tbls ls otten wbat 8lnet's work olo, lt coulo be justltleo
because Haeckel's lmages embooleo bls sclentltlc
metboo ot morpbology, but | oon't know lt tbere are
any current sclentltlc metboos tbat are so lntrlnslcally
grapblc.
Tbere are not many selt-oeclareo monlsts
arouno tooay, but perbaps our culture ooes aobere to
some ot Haeckel's prlnclples lt we are to see nature
ln terms ot balanceo ecosystems, ano to care tor lt
accorolngly, we can consloer bullolngs as bavlng to take
a responslble place ln tbelr envlronment, as lt tbey
were new anlmals unleasbeo wltbln lt. Sustalnablllty ls
accorolngly a (posslbly tbe) major lssue ln current
arcbltecture. 8ut tbls attltuoe mlgbt also leao arcbltects
to 8lnet's solutlon tbe ettuslve vlsual oellgbt ln
nature, ano olrect representatlons ot nature's
lnterconnecteoness tbrougb a bullolng's torm.


Rene' 8lnet
Banc, 1904.

Rene' 8lnet
Tympan, 1904.
49







































Personally | enjoy 8lnet's work because lt makes sucb a
retresblng contrast to tbe twentletb-century Mooernlst
gullt trlp over ornament. Over tbe last tew oecaoes
ornament bas been graoually emerglng trom tbe
cupboaro wbere lt was sbut away tor so long, ano lt
seems tbat arcbltects can also now oeslgn lt wltbout
bavlng to resort to parooy to bloe tbelr sbame. | woulo
llke to tblnk tbat 8lnet mlgbt qulte slmply remlno
arcbltects ot tbe joys ot ornament, ano glve tbem loeas
tor new ways ot worklng lt lnto tbe materlals at bano.
Tben cbolces bave to be maoe over sources ano
meanlngs, wblcb may not be tbe same as tbose ot
8lnet.

!"# %&'()* '+),#( -+. )/( .",#0( 1"# + #('(-+2
"1 +#) +'3 + -+4 )" +5"&3 )/( 0"64&'7 "1
/&.)"#&0+2 .)42(.8 9" -/+) (:)(') 0+' %&'();.
.)42( <( 0"'.&3(#(3 + ='(- .)42(;>

|n tbe pretace to 8lnet's plates, Gustave Gettroy wrote
tbat 8lnet's supposeoly olrect ano unmeolateo
lncorporatlon ot nature was a way out trom tbe
problem ot style trom blstorlcal style as mucb as



trom a personal style. Tbls ls an unsustalnable vlew
now, ot course. Lven lt 8lnet tbougbt be was
approacblng nature olrectly, lt was ln practlce tlltereo
tbrougb many cultural layers tbrougb lts enclosure ln
sclentltlc olscourse, lts vlsual representatlon ln
engravlngs ot magnltleo speclmen vlews (vlews wblcb
were only provloeo by certaln types ot mlcroscope,
ano were not obtalnable wltb tbe nakeo eye), lts
lnvolvement ln cultural torms ([ules verne, museums,
zoos ano aquarlums) wblcb poslteo certaln types ot
nature as eotlc tantasy spectacle ano gave
assoclatlonal meanlngs to certaln anlmals. Ano wben
lncorporatlng nature lnto arcbltecture, 8lnet re-torms
lt to tlt all tbe conventlons ot bls own olsclpllne
columns wltb capltals ano entablatures, objects, llke
keys or rlngs, ot conventlonal use ano torm, openwork
carvlng or moulolng ln wooo or ceramlc, structural
trames ln wooo ano walls ln stone or brlck, repeateo
patterns ln brlck, leao lnlay or tlles. Nature ls co-opteo
to sbltt tbose conventlons, ano tbe sbltt glves an ettect
ot surprlse: tbe tamlllar looks suooenly ooo. |n tbat
sense lt ls a new 'style', ln tbe same way tbat a
nlneteentb-century arcbltect coulo employ Lgyptlan,
Greek, Roman or Romanesque styles at wlll. On tbe
otber bano, as tbere ls no tunoamental transtormatlon
or oenlal ot tbose unoerlylng conventlons, ano ot tbe
values ot arcbltecture ln lts perloo ano place (structural
loglc, symmetry ano monumentallty), lt remalns a
manltestatlon ot a late-nlneteentb-century or Art
Nouveau style. How you label 8lnet's work oepenos
on your trame ot reterence.
Gettroy also tbougbt tbat 8lnet's use ot nature
woulo avolo ecesslve lnolvlouallsm ln a perloo wben
(as tbe arcbltect Frantz [ouroaln eclteoly wrote)
oeslgn seemeo to be cbaracterlseo by anarcby.
Nevertbeless, 8lnet's own style emerges very clearly
lt ls entlrely oltterent ln tecbnlque to vlctor Horta's
approprlatlon ot nature ln swlrllng ano tlulo torms, tor
eample. |n tbe eno tbls must bave been lnevltable
consloerlng tbat 8lnet's ceramlcs, mosalcs, embroloery,
marquetry ano so on are not createo ln practlce, but
only ln oeslgn, tbrougb pencll orawlng ano watercolour
or gouacbe. | oon't know lt tbere ls any current
researcb on tbe ways ln wblcb orawlng ls attecteo by
tbe constralnts or bablts ot tbe artlst's booy | am
sure otbers bave oescrlbeo tbese ettects betore. |n tbe
case ot tbe orawlng oeslgner, lt seems obvlous enougb
tbat tbe same bablts ln movlng a pencll or mllng
colours wlll result ln slmllarltles across tbe work (ln
tbls case, turtbermore, proouceo as a slngle booy ot
work). 8lnet's olstlnctlvely splky style ot orawlng
turtber transtorms bls tavourlte selectlons trom nature,
ano lmbues everytblng wltb a certaln slmllarlty wblcb
one can only call a 8lnet style.

%&'();. ?@,&..(. 3(0"#+)&5(. <#&'7. )" .,#1+0(
)/( 6#"<2(A+)&0 #(2+)&"'./&6 <()-((' B+),#(
+'3 C,2),#( -&)/&' )/( 1&(23 "1 )/( 5&.,+2 +#).8


Rene' 8lnet
Plaque de Porte, 1904.
50






































"# $%&' ()'(*' +&* ,'-./,&'/#* &*0 1(&./,2 3(
+#*,/0(1(0 ()41(,,/#*, #5 *&'61&. &*0
&1'/5/+/&.7

You're trylng to trlp me up! Clearly ln tbe nlneteentb
century tbe oecoratlve arts were oescrlbeo ln terms ot
a scale ot conventlonallsatlon ot nature, trom reallsm
to abstractlon. Owen [ones tbougbt tbat abstractlon
ano styllsatlon sboweo a greater acblevement ln buman
lntelllgence (compareo to tbe slavlsb copylng ot
nature), wblle Auguste Raclnet ano otber Frencb
autbors argueo tbat reallsm requlreo greater sklll ln
eecutlon by crattsmen, so coulo oemonstrate a blgber
culture ln tbat way tban slmple geometrlcal torms. So
wblle [ones tbougbt tbat styllsatlon was artltlclal, ano
tberetore gooo, Raclnet lmplleo tbat reallsm actually
requlres greater artltlce. |n botb cases lt ls tbe loea ot
buman labour (wbetber mental or pbyslcal) operatlng
on nature tbat glves cultural value to tbe oeslgneo
proouct.
8otb [ones ano Raclnet, ano tbus also 8lnet ano
Gettroy, accepteo tbe loea ot sucb a scale, ano tbe
concept ot reallsm, assumlng an unproblematlc




relatlonsblp between nature as object ano lts
representatlons. |t ls essentlally an enllgbtenment,
lmperlallst vlew ot nature as sometblng to be
approprlateo completely by culture, eltber to be
workeo lnto proouctlve use, or to be trameo as
untameo ano eblblteo as part ot a cultural or sclentltlc
oroerlng ot tbe worlo. |t ls perbaps no colncloence tbat
8lnet's Porte Monumentale ot 1900 tormeo tbe
entrance to tbe Parls Worlo's Falr, wbere all tbe
Frencb colonles were representeo by typlcal bullolngs
occupleo by lmporteo lnbabltants, ano wbere a
journallst coulo publlsb a serles on tbe types ot women
be bao observeo trom so many countrles. 8lnet
slmllarly takes tbe olstant ano 'otber' ln nature ano, by
aoaptlng lt to conventlon wblle appearlng not to oo so,
makes lt tamlllar ano brlngs lt unoer control.

"%( $#18/*9 1(.&'/#*,%/4 3('$((* :/*(' &*0
;&(+8(. $&, *#' 461(.- & </,6&. 2&''(1= "%(/1
/*<(,'/9&'/#* #5 *&'61&. 5#12, &.,# /*<#.<(0
'%(#1/(, #5 +.&,,/5/+&'/#* &*0 (<#.6'/#*= >&*
0(,/9* &*0 &1+%/'(+'61( 4.&- & 1#.( /* 0(5/*/*9
'%(,( +#*+(4',7

Classltlcatlon ln nature bas otten been olscusseo ln
arcbltecture as 'typology', ano evolutlon ln oeslgn ls a
well-enougb establlsbeo concept. 8ut | woulo besltate
to make sucb analogles so gllbly. Tbey are just
analogles, perbaps wltb some analytlcal uses. | tell my
stuoents ott tor talklng about tbe 'evolutlon' ot
bullolngs ln blstory. 8ullolngs are not anlmals. We
coulo accept tbat buman belngs mlgbt be evolvlng, but
even lt we olo accept tbat, tbere ls no loglcal reason
wby tbe prooucts ot our lntelllgence ano labour sboulo
evolve. Tbey oo not contaln DNA or repllcate
tbemselves. |t tbere ls a llnk between tbe evolutlonary
blologles ot our bralns ano banos ano tbe tblngs tbey
proouce, lt ls not golng to be a slmple one!

Robert Proctor has been Lecturer in Architectural
History at the Mackintosh School of Architecture,
Glasgow School of Art, since 2002, having previously
studied at Edinburgh University, and studied and
taught at Cambridge University. His work on twentieth-
century churches began through research on the
architectural firm of Gillespie, Kidd & Coia.
Robert Proctor's work on church architecture continues
alongside an interest in French architecture of the late
nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. His PhD at
Cambridge University explored the department store in
Paris in this period, on which he has also subsequently
written, and he has more recently specialised in French
art nouveau.


Rene Binet From Nature to Form is published by
Prestel. Many thanks to Anna Kenning at Prestel for
her kind help.


Rene' 8lnet
Anterne Electrique, 1904.
51





















































































































!"#$%& '(
#*+,*-"
Animal is a pioneering series from Reaktion Books. The first of its kind to explore the historical
significance and impact on humans of a wide range of animals, each book in the series takes a
different animal and examines its role in history around the world.
Questions by Giovanni Aloi




52

































































































































53























o tbose close to tbe tlelo ot Anlmal Stuoles tbe
work ot [onatban 8urt ls an lnvaluable resource
ot lnsplratlon. He ls tbe autbor ot a number ot
relevant publlcatlons ano more recently also tbe eoltor
ot one ot tbe most lnnovatlve ano cballenglng
publlsblng works ln tbe tlelo ot Anlmal Stuoles: tbe
'Anlmal Serles' publlsbeo by Reaktlon 8ooks. Tbe
serles lntroouces a new ano mucb neeoeo tormat ln
tbe blstory ot 'anlmal wrltlng' replaclng tbe 'objectltylng
monograpblcal approacb' wltb a multlolsclpllnary
tormula presentlng tbe anlmal as protagonlst ot cultural
blstorles. 8eautltully oeslgneo ano lllustrateo tbe serles
now comprlses ot 19 publlsbeo tltles (as per December
2007) ano ls awaltlng tbe arrlval ot 6 more tltles
scbeouleo to be releaseo ln 2008.
We lntervleweo [onatban 8urt to olscuss tbe serles.


"#$% &%'(')* +,%--% ') (.- /'-01 #/ 2)'3,0
4($1'-5 .,5 1-6-0#7-1 (.%#$*. (.- 7$80'+,('#)
#/ -55,95 0':- ;<.- '00$3'),('#) #/ (.- ,)'3,0
:')*1#3= ,)1 8##:5 0':- ;2)'3,05 ') >'03=?
@#& 1'1 (.- '1-, /#% , 6,5( 7%#A-+( 0':-
;2)'3,0= 5-%'-5 +#3- ,8#$( ') (.- /'%5( 70,+-B

|t was more a case ot loeas tban a slngle loea.
Wben | began worklng ln wbat ls now calleo 'anlmal
stuoles' back ln tbe early 1990's my researcb was
malnly on tbe Lonoon Zoo ln tbe early twentletb
century, ano at tbe tlme tbere was barely a banotul ot
wortbwblle tblngs to reao ot a seconoary nature apart
trom tbe source materlal ltselt. Ano tbe zoo arcblve
was not eactly tulsome. |n a tunny way tbat
eperlence sbapeo my approacb to anlmal stuoles tor
ever atterwaros. | woulo trek over tbe roao at
luncbtlmes trom tbe Lonoon Zoologlcal Soclety Llbrary
to tbe Garoens ano watcb tbe anlmals tor an bour or
so. Tbe consequence ot tbls was tbat | began to tblnk
about tbe zoo, ano anlmal blstory, ln two oltterent























ways. | was tasclnateo by tbe mlnutlae ot zoo
management, tbe paperwork ano commlttees tbat
constltuteo lts lnstltutlonal blstory, on tbe one bano,
ano, on tbe otber bano, tbe more problematlc, olttuse
questlons ralseo by tbe lmpact ot anlmal olsplay ano
vlsual lmagery on publlc culture. Tbe lnterest ln tllm
ano pbotograpby began tbere too ano | trekkeo all
over tbe country trylng to tlno as mucb early arcblve
tllm as | coulo ot 8rltlsb zoos. For a brlet tlme, ln my
over-entbuslasm, | began to tblnk ot tllm ano
pbotograpby as my most lmportant resource tor
researcblng anlmal blstory partly because tbe arcblves
seemeo so lnaoequate.
Wben | tlnally publlsbeo some ot tbls work on
tbe Monkey Hlll, wblcb was a olsplay ot a communlty ot
Hamaoryas baboons openeo ln 1925, | tblnk tbe
approacb | useo pretty mucb sbapeo my loea ot bow |
wanteo tbe anlmal serles to be. | oescrlbeo all tbe
oltterent types ot olscourse useo to oescrlbe tbe
Monkey Hlll tbe press, sclentlsts, ottlclal zoo
publlcatlons, novels ano at tbe same tlme wrote
about bow some ot tbe vlsual aspects ot tbe olsplay
eluoeo all tbese wrltten accounts. |n a way | see tbe
anlmal serles as epresslng tbls ollemma wbere autbors
summarlse all tbe many oltterent ways ln wblcb a
specles ls oescrlbeo ln sclence, tbe arts, across cultures
ano so tortb, wbllst tbe lmages act as a parallel
commentary. Sometlmes tbe lmages elucloate
connectlons between tbe wrltten materlal, or act
symbollcally ln tbelr own rlgbt, ano sometlmes tbey are
mucb more opaque or elllptlcal.
My lntellectual mooels tor tbe serles were
obvlously classlcal wrlters llke Arlstotle, but especlally
Conrao Gessner wbose encyclopaeolc Hlstorla
Anlmallum | absolutely love botb tor tbe lmages ano
tbe tet. Ano also, perbaps surprlslngly, tbe Rougb
Guloe Travel serles, wbose tounoer ls an olo trleno ot
mlne. | see tbe evolutlonary blstory sectlon tbat eacb
book bas as a verslon ot tbe Rougb Guloe's Gettlng
T

[onatban 8urt
Published so far, The Animal Series, 2007.
54



Tbere ano vlsas sectlons, betore you get to all tbe
reglonal cbapters.

!"#$%&'( *''$+ ,#+ -"."/'0"- # +%1'(2
1"03%#%&'( &( %," 4&"/- '4 5(&6#/ +%3-&"+7 8#+
&% -&44&93/% %' 9'(.&(9" %," 03:/&+,"1+ %'
01'-39" +39, .#+% #(- '1&2&(#/ 01';"9%<

Yes, Reaktlon bao alreaoy publlsbeo some gooo ano
lmportant books on anlmals sucb as Steve 8aker's
!"#$%"&'() +),%-. ano Hlloa Kean's +),%-. /,01$#2
3".,$,4-. -)& #"4,-. 41-)0' ,) 5(,$-,) #,)4' 6788 botb ot
wblcb bao a blg lntluence on my tblnklng. Ano | tblnk
Mlcbael Leaman, wbo runs Reaktlon, ls very
preolsposeo to anlmal projects not necessarlly tor
etblcal reasons but tor bls lnterest ln tbe more
marglnal areas ot cultural blstory. Tbe Anlmal serles
ltselt partly arose trom a llgbt bearteo suggestlon wben
| suggesteo to Mlcbael tbat lt woulo be great to oo a
Rougb Guloe to tbe Camel. We tben orew up a llst ot
oooball anlmals tbat you coulo oo slmllar books tor,
because at tbe tlme | was also trustrateo by tbe oogs,
cats ano borses type ot anlmal blstory ano wanteo to
oo more on tlsb, lnsects, ano blros. | oo remember tbat
we lnltlally came up wltb oysters, rabblts ano tlles!
Tbere was no tormal proposal as sucb, lt just came
trom tbat lntormal ano sllgbtly surreal olscusslon.
Reaktlon came back to me about 3 weeks later ano
askeo bow sucb a serles mlgbt work, wbat sort ot
sbape tbe books mlgbt take, ano wbetber we coulo tlno
tbe autbors. Tbe tlrst two questlons were easy to
answer, tbe secono proveo mucb more olttlcult
because tbere were so tew people wbo bao workeo on
anlmals ln tbe lnterolsclpllnary way tbat was requlreo.

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.'/36" ,#+ :""( ,&2,/> 01#&+"- :> %," 91&%&9+7
?+ %,"1" # 4'163/# %,#% #00/&"+ %' "#9, :''$ &(
%," +"1&"+<

Tbe books oo bave a tormula, or ratber a template,
wblcb | mentloneo ln 1). | lnslst on tbe evolutlonary
blstory cbapter, ano | llke an empbasls on otber
cultures wbere approprlate. 8ut | also always say to
autbors tbat tbey sboulo try ano see tbelr book as an
essay wltb some sort ot sbape ano a tbesls, ratber tban
as an encyclopaeola entry. My maln problem as an
eoltor ls oeallng wltb tets tbat get a blt llke llsts ot
eamples, wblcb ls a blg temptatlon ln lnterolsclpllnary
wrltlng wben you are trylng to squeeze a lot ot
lntormatlon lnto c. 35,000 woros.

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4'1 %," 1#% 4#(9&"1 &( >'31 /&4"7@CC=,"
D3#1-&#( EF#6"+ G/"6&(2B =," A0"9%#%'1B 501
HI JKKLM
=," +"1&"+ ,#+ :""( 01#&+"- 4'1 &%+ &(('.#%&."
#(- 9,#//"(2&(2 9'(%"(% #+ N"// #+ 4'1 %,"
:"#3%&43/ -"+&2( #(- 4&(&+, '4 "#9, :''$7 O#."



>'3 ,#- #(> &(4/3"(9" '( %,&+ #1"# '4 %,"
01';"9%<

Tbe only lntluence | bao was to lnslst on tbe
lmportance ot lmages, tbat tbere sboulo be as many as
economlcally posslble, ano also tbat we sboulo bave
colour. Reaktlon are not a wealtby publlsber, tbey are
a very small outtlt, so tbere were lots ot constralnts on
costs ano slze. 8ut tbey make up tor tbat wltb really
tantastlc book oeslgn. We won a Natlonal 8ook Awaro
tor '8est Deslgneo' new serles wben lt was launcbeo ln
2003.

5% %,&+ +%#2"B P5(&6#/Q ,#+ 9'."1"- %," 93/%31#/
,&+%'1> '4 # :1'#- 1#(2" '4 #(&6#/+ 41'6 %,"
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51" %,"1" #(&6#/+ %,#% #1" 6'1" /&$"/> %' :"
0#1% '4 %," P5(&6#/Q +"1&"+ %,#( '%,"1+<

Tbere are two lnterestlng lssues bere. Tbe tlrst ls tbat
anlmal stuoles ls stlll a relatlvely new subject ano some
areas are stlll very unoer-researcbeo so we bave to be
caretul about wbetber an 'anlmal' may or may not bave
enougb ot a cultural blstory tor a book. | woulo really
llke to oo a book on [ellytlsb, tor lnstance, tbougb
comlng up wltb 120 varylng lmages trom oltterent
perloos ot blstory may be a cballenge. Tbe secono ls
bow to oeal wltb anlmals tbat bave a llmlteo
geograpblcal area ano a reglonally llmlteo cultural
blstory. We bave tenoeo to avolo tbose, we rejecteo a
proposal tor tbe olngo recently on tbose grounos, ano
bave gone tor creatures wltb a global resonance.
Havlng salo tbat tbougb we oo bave a book
tortbcomlng on tbe Moose because we bave a very
gooo autbor, Kevln [ackson, ano a lot ot ratber
wonoertul ano eccentrlc materlal. |n tbe eno lt comes
oown to tbe strengtb ot a proposal. | woulon't
necessarlly aoo '. ano wbat mlgbt sell' because we
bave publlsbeo on wbat mlgbt be consloereo talrly
marglnal creatures llke tbe cockroacb ano tbe peacock.

5+ 0#1% '4 %," +"1&"+B >'3 N1'%" %,"
:''$ P!#%Q7 8,> -&- >'3 9,''+" %,&+ #(&6#/ &(
0#1%&93/#1< 51" >'3 0/#((&(2 %' N1&%" '%,"1
%&%/"+ 4'1 %," +"1&"+<

As | mentloneo tbe perloo ot anlmal blstory | am most
lnteresteo ln ls tbe early twentletb century ano tbe rat
ls sucb a key anlmal tor tbat perloo. Tbe beglnnlngs ot
tbe bubonlc plague eploemlcs ln tbe mlo-1890s, tbe
lmportance ot tbe rat ln laboratory sclence, ano tben
you bave tbe Rat Man case ln Freuo ano tbe prevalence
ot rats ln tbe Flrst Worlo War. | am very orawn to
tbese multl-stranoeo eamples also because lt ls one
way ot wrltlng a more anlmal centreo blstory. Ano tbe
rat bas sucb an lmpact on almost every aspect ot
buman llte wblcb also tlts wltb my preterence tor
wrltlng about tbe way anlmals lmpact on bumans ratber
tban vlce versa. | oon't bave any plans to wrlte anotber
55



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Jonathan Burt studied Palaeolithic archaeology at
Cambridge University between 1977 and 1980. After
two years as an archaeologist, agricultural contractor,
and barman, amongst other miscellaneous jobs between
1980 and 1982, he became a freelance writer and
teacher which he has been ever since. Between 1992
and 1995 he co-directed the Unofficial Knowledge
project at the Kings College Research Centre,
Cambridge University. He began working on animal
history full time in 1994 and co-founded the Animal
Studies Group (U.K.) in 2000 with Steve Baker, Erica
Fudge, Robert Mckay, and Garry Marvin. He created
and edits the Animal series for Reaktion Books. This
series won the U.K. National Book Award for Best
Designed New Series in 2004. He is also a review
editor for the journal Society & Animals.

Animal: The importance of mythology, religion and
science are described as is the history of food, the trade
in animals and their products, pets, exhibition, film and
photography, and their roles in the artistic and literary
imagination.
Written by authors who are passionate about their
subjects, these highly accessible, informative and
beautifully produced books will appeal to the general
reader as well as to those with a specialist interest, and
will be of educational value to college students and
school children.

Antennae wishes to thank Reaktion Books for the help
received over this project. Special thanks to Maria
Kilcoyne, Publicity and Rights Director at Reaktion
Books.

Jonathan Burt was interviewed by Antennae over the
Autumn of 2007.
















Back Cover Image: Karen Knorr The Order of Things
2004-2005, from the series Life Class.
56


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