D and I went to Santa Monica to see the Ashes and Snow exhibit. It was well worth it.
The building itself was very interesting...it's made of big containers, etc. The exhibit was amazing. The lighting inside made it very intimate.
I was drawn in at first because I am very much moved by animals. I believe in protecting them and their environments and I have deeply loved the animals I've had as pets.
That said, the photos and films are of people interacting with animals, with no explanation so that a person will not be directed as to how to interpret the images. It's beautiful, but ultimately I found it disquieting to see people interacting with dangerous animals like cheetahs and wild African dogs. A friend of mine saw this and thought it was just beautiful and said something about how people and animals should be interacting, implying maybe that we would interact in these ways if we were in the correct frame of mind.
To me it was another confirmation of just how far we are from our natural roots. We are, at best, competators with some of these creatures as far as the food chain goes. Yes, gorgeous to see the woman and kids on the dunes with the wild cats, but don't try this at home. The cats had the good sense to get up and move when the wind started kicking up sand. Not the humans. They were being all soulful for the camera.
I'd like to see this guy put his dreamy humans next to veal calves or force fed chickens. I think he may be perpetuating myths about animals that don't really help.
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