Bird Panopticon
Central to this work is a mimesis of the Panopticon — a prototypical prison formulated by British philosopher Jeremy Bentham in 1787, and then further developed by French philosopher Michel Foucault in relation to his notion of discipline and power. Here, rather than suggesting the situation of human prisoners, the Bird Panopticon signifies the plight of animal victims under the anthropocentric gaze.
This structure is constructed by 50 pieces of scroll paintings, dealing with a variety of bird subjects, including bird specimen, trapped birds, game birds, and road-kill bird etc. Embedded in this structure and the images is my critique on human's relentless craving for monitoring, categorising,
manipulating, manufacturing, framing, and controlling animals.
These bird images are executed by Chinese brush on silk, echoing the traditional bird-and-flower painting. But here the seemingly round fan surface format — suggesting a harmonious relationship between humans and nature, is deconstructed by the spotlights of the harsh reality; and the paints are mainly dyes, rather fugitive material, hinting at the vulnerability of the creatures.
In contrast with these overwhelming bird pictures, the large round cushion-like object made from real poultry feathers is located exactly in the centre of the
space. Conceptually, it functions not just as formally corresponding element, but more importantly, as a site suggesting the
real, the unpleasant reality. Paradoxically, there exists a tension between the sensual beauty of the real feathers and the pain and suffering of birds depicted in paintings.
Material: Polyester, dye, ink, black acrylic, poultry feathers and blue lighting.
Painting Size: 75 x 585cm, 50 pieces.
Feather Cushion Size: 250cm in diameter.
Venue: LICA Event Space A28, Lancaster University
Central to this work is a mimesis of the Panopticon — a prototypical prison formulated by British philosopher Jeremy Bentham in 1787, and then further developed by French philosopher Michel Foucault in relation to his notion of discipline and power. Here, rather than suggesting the situation of human prisoners, the Bird Panopticon signifies the plight of animal victims under the anthropocentric gaze.
This structure is constructed by 50 pieces of scroll paintings, dealing with a variety of bird subjects, including bird specimen, trapped birds, game birds, and road-kill bird etc. Embedded in this structure and the images is my critique on human's relentless craving for monitoring, categorising,
manipulating, manufacturing, framing, and controlling animals.
These bird images are executed by Chinese brush on silk, echoing the traditional bird-and-flower painting. But here the seemingly round fan surface format — suggesting a harmonious relationship between humans and nature, is deconstructed by the spotlights of the harsh reality; and the paints are mainly dyes, rather fugitive material, hinting at the vulnerability of the creatures.
In contrast with these overwhelming bird pictures, the large round cushion-like object made from real poultry feathers is located exactly in the centre of the
space. Conceptually, it functions not just as formally corresponding element, but more importantly, as a site suggesting the
real, the unpleasant reality. Paradoxically, there exists a tension between the sensual beauty of the real feathers and the pain and suffering of birds depicted in paintings.
Material: Polyester, dye, ink, black acrylic, poultry feathers and blue lighting.
Painting Size: 75 x 585cm, 50 pieces.
Feather Cushion Size: 250cm in diameter.
Venue: LICA Event Space A28, Lancaster University