The Lives of Animals

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“It is true that animals are usually not able to participate in their liberation, but they behave differently when they are liberated and have better living conditions.”
— Speaking Beyond Language: Lin May Saeed Interviewed

Golden Snail Opera Collective

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08 June - 22 September 2024
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The Golden Snail Opera is a collabora­tive project involving anthropologists Yen-Ling Tsai and Anna Lowenhaupt Tsing, the filmmaker Isabelle Carbonell, and farmer and translator Joelle Chevrier. 

The work combines percussion from o-pei-la, Taiwanese opera influenced by a queer sensibility, with the surrounding sounds: the rice fields and their inhab­itants, snails, birds, etc. The sounds are far from being just the background noise. They interact with the script, which is based on direct experience and obser­vations, and are essentially a perform­ative part of the work. The golden snail (Pomacea canaliculata) was introduced to Taiwan from Argentina in 1979 for the escargot industry but became a major pest in rice agriculture across Asia. Unlike ordinary farmers, who have been trying to exterminate the invading snails, the creators of The Golden Snail Opera show the complex ecosystem of the paddies, demonstrating the possibil­ity of harmonious coexistence between various species. 

Exhibited work: 

Golden Snail Opera, 2016
Courtesy Golden Snail Opera Collective (Isabelle Carbonell, Joelle Chevrier, Yen-Ling Tsai, Anna Tsing)

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