Removed from the Domain of Struggle
1224 W Loyola Ave, Chicago IL
February 22, 2016 - February 25, 2016
Could the act of looking at animals be part of a larger search for connection with something beyond ourselves, beyond our humanness—an attempt to connect with the mystery that nature inspires, even if this experience must be heavily mediated? Why do so many people want to look at animals? Why do we defend or implicitly support the practice of looking? What does it mean to participate as a spectator of captive animals?
Removed from the Domain of Struggle is part of the video series, Thirty Times a Minute, exploring unnatural behaviors of animals held in captivity. Since 2009, Colleen Plumb has traveled to fifty zoos in the United States, making video of animals exhibiting what biologists refer to as stereotypic behavior, defined as a repetitive, obsessive behavior pattern with no obvious goal or function.
The video is projected onto different walls and surfaces throughout city neighborhoods—injected into the public space—looping continuously after sunset at each location. Removed from the Domain of Struggle at Roman Susan will be projected in the evening after dark, visible from the street. For more information, please visit colleenplumb.com/thirtytimesaminute.