DOGS
FOOD
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~ George Orwell
CONTENTS
Dogs are not food
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Wasted
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Between a dump and a donut shop
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Golden hour
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What’s for lunch? / Kanal
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Dog in cage
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Sapu upcycle / Together
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Waiting
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Scarfaced cat / Fenced kitties
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Dog behind bars
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Cool dogs / Gutter cat
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Dog behind fence / Born to be wild
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The commodity of captivity
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Kucing (cat) / Enclosure
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Ebb tide / Gridlock traffic
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Watukodok (rock frog) beach / Jamur (fungi)
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Rice
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FOOD DOGS 2
Eleni Kalantidou So many stories to tell. Being at the zoo, the vet clinic, the Animal Friends Jogja facilities in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. Hearing about cultural practices of abuse but not being able to understand the whys behind them, coming from another culture. Indonesia has its own rules and traditions; it has a heritage that involves rituals subjectively perceived as positive and negative. Or not? Is it subjectively wrong that dogs taken by the streets or abducted from their owners, end up being slaughtered in horrible conditions for their meat? If so, that which cannot be questioned is the disconnection between the humans and their animality. Tradition is not the only human condition normalising abuse. Seeing animals as commodities, a perception strongly influenced by a westernised reading of life allows people to treat them as waste, discard them when no longer useful to play, show off, own. Through a research process followed so as to discover the rationale supporting these understandings, status surfaced as an
additional reason; dogs and cats and birds being symbols of wealth, trophies to exhibit. And it is not only Indonesia that enables or tolerates dog meat trade. Marianne Lien in the book ‘The politics of food’ (2004), highlighted the mayhem caused by activists around the globe before the 2002 World Cup, which was held in South Korea, as a demonstration against ‘illegal dogmeat and cat juice trade’ (Lien 2004, p.179). Focusing on the illegal aspect of the activity is important. Because according to Lien the defenders of this practice in countries like Korea, adopt the argument that when the meat comes from an abattoir that is legal and hygienically safe, dog meat is not different from cow’s, sheep’s and chicken’s meat. This argument could be reinforced by the fact that ‘dog-meat is tabooed precisely because dogs have been domesticated in Europe and North America as a companion animal, pet or friend’ (Lien 2004, 186).
If that’s the case, if dogs should not be eaten because they are part of the anthropocene, where nature and life are viewed through a humancentric pigeonhole, then an issue to be raised is how the totality of nature is being perceived through this lens. In developing countries like Indonesia, biodiversity is destroyed via the replacement of local crops or forests with mono-crops related to the production of industry essentials such as palm oil; deforestation annihilates indigenous food sources, local seeds and animals’ natural habitat and frequent fires wipe out thousands of acres of forests and crops. In this context, to kill animals without consideration, to irreparably damage biodiversity, are activities stemming from the fact that life itself has been turned into a commodity to be easily discarded and the separation of humans from their animal self equals their separation from their own nature.
This exhibition came out of the need to depict what was learned through travelling to Indonesia, being exposed and introduced to a different culture, getting connected to people and animals, exploring causes and questions regarding animal cruelty and natural destruction, and collecting data so as to put together a strategy of empowerment for Animal Friends Jogja. What sounds abstract is not. The whole point of this trip was to find a way to reflect on practices that sound savage and discover ways to connect them to the bigger picture-worlds within a world of cause and effect, worlds within a world of absurdity. How else can be described the profound lack of interconnectedness between the self and that which surrounds it? The strategy designed to address the aforementioned issues is simple, modest and seeks to achieve incremental changes.
The objective is to make the level of damage and the potential of repair present. Locals’ ideas captured via interviews, field research and observation were translated into goals: education concerning the indigenous flora and fauna, the role of animals and humans within that milieu and proper care management for pets; connection with bodies of governance so as to reshape the contemporary legal framework in relation to animal brutality; opportunities of financial self-sustainment for local NGOs such as Animal Friends Jogja through the creation of a network supporting similar causes; and re-evaluation of local
skills and competencies in relation to reaching these goals. Depicting animal life and inviting people to dwell on it might make visible that ‘Mankind is a rope fastened between animal and overman – a rope over an abyss. A dangerous crossing, a dangerous on-the-way, a dangerous looking back, a dangerous shuddering and standing still’ (Nietzsche 1883/2006, p.7). And it might make more clear that ‘overman’ has overtaken the animal. What’s left to see is what happens when the ‘overman’ realises that life cannot be sustained without the animal.
References Lien, M.E., 2004, ‘Dogs, whales and kangaroos: Transnational activism and food taboos’, in M.E. Lien, Marianne Elisabeth and B. Nerlich (eds.) The Politics of Food, Berg Publishers, London, pp. 179-199. Nietzsche, F. 1883/2006, Thus spoke Zaratustra, trans. Del Caro, A., Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.
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GOLDEN HOUR 4
We stood and looked over the largest garbage dump in Jogja for about half an hour. We stood in silence. We cracked jokes to make the experience a little less intense. We covered our faces to shield our noses from the smell, and our mouths from the flies. We heard about the cows that die because they ingest too much plastic from eating the garbage. We heard how little the men, women and children who work sorting through the rubbish make in a day. We looked at the rubbish, and then to the incredibly green forest right next door. Then the rain came, and we could leave.
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We had just spent about half an hour at the largest garbage dump in Jogja. As we were leaving a storm ripped through, washing away any remnants of the smell from the place, we were back in the van on our way to a monstrous shopping mall to eat donuts. The rain cleared for a few minutes on the drive, giving me a moment of clarity to reflect on the insane juxtaposition of the afternoon.
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WASTED 8
Piyungan landfill is inhabited by people and animals who both scavenge to survive off the waste. The resident cattle ingest whatever is available, mostly organic waste and plastics, eventually being sold for their meat. This scene is far from the green pastoral fields painted in our minds. Here, animal and human life are forced to adapt to the smells, the toxins, the rott, the dangers of our garbage.
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I could sometimes hear chickens as we walked around the streets of Jogja, and many of the places we visited outside the city were keeping them too. As we stopped at a service station on one of our longer drives, I peered over a railing and saw this one foraging for a meal.
The implications of animal cruelty stretches beyond its victims, especially when it is allowed to persist unchallenged. When abuse is left to continue unabated it enters the realm of normalcy, conditioning the impressionable to believe it is acceptable. 10
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The door is open but the movement is minimal. The expression cannot be interpreted according to human understandings. What I read in his face is not necessary a reflection of what he has been through. He is in a cage; he does not want to come out.
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This photo was taken at Sapu Upcycle, a small business located just outside Jogja that began operating in 2010. Sapu Upcycle has a philosophy of reusing materials and a strong focus on Upcycling products, designing in innovative ways. Most of their products are made from old inner rubber tyre tubes.
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These dogs eat, play and share together but are separated from their human. A local man had previously given all seven of them a home but was unable to provide the proper care without the financial means or knowledge. He still visits. So here they are, separated but together.
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WAITING 16
60 cats, 24 dogs and 5 monkeys receive daily care at Animal Friends Jogja HQ. Meal prep is a team effort, mostly done by volunteers. Here, one of the many felines waits patiently for their next meal. They make themselves at home, wandering freely around the space and congregating at the feet of visitors.
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Pretty cats don’t have stories to tell. This one does. How animals get objectified, then abused and abandoned. And no matter how many lives there are to live, none of them deserves to be spent in conditions of neglect and harm. 18
They are together, they seem like they are enjoying each other’s company, or not? Being behind wires can’t be that pleasant when their instincts are to explore, kill a few unaware smaller species or climb on trees or buildings. They have been rescued, when they have everything they need to rescue themselves; when not surrounded by humans. 19
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The wood feels warmer than steel but it is still a barrier to overcome. To go where? Somewhere better? Out in the open? With no owner, just guardians life becomes harder and survival is depended on random acts of kindness.
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AFJ strive to see a world where animals can live free from human induced fear and distress; discomfort, injury and disease. Where the natural habitat of wildlife is preserved for its inherent value, not exploited and destroyed to briefly enrich the few. AFJ has a strongly held ethos that a life is a life, no matter how small. Here are some cool rescue dogs at AFJ.
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As a species, our history is characterised by an unbroken relationship with other animals and the natural environment. We have employed dogs for hunting and companionship, oxen bearing ploughs to till our fields, cats to safeguard our food supplies and horses for our transportation. Our very existence depends on the complex interactions between human and non-human animals.
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Elang Laut Perut Putih: The White Breasted Sea Eagle, Haliaeetus leucogaster is a large diurnal bird of prey in the family Accipitridae, readily distinguished by its contrasting crisp-white and ashy-grey plumage, which adds to its striking appearance when soaring effortlessly on broad wings. It is not confined to coastal areas, as the species is regularly recorded at terrestrial wetlands far from the sea, especially along larger inland rivers and at freshwater swamps and lakes. The sea eagle breeds and hunts near water, and fish form around half of its diet. Deprived of its ability to fly, even small distances, hunt for its specific diet, breed with others of its species, there’s not much else to do in this cage but to sit and stare through the fence and be stared back at.
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COMMODITY OF CAPTIVITY 26
This image of a sun bear taken at Gembira Loka Zoo in Yogyakarta, Indonesia represents a confronting memory etched in my mind of how animals can be mistreated. What is clear is that neither a scenario of animal captivity or human forced endangerment in the wild is natural, both being detrimental to the ecological fabric. When witnessing this dehydrated, inactive bear confined to a cement ditch, in its unnatural condition as a human commodity of exhibition and captivation, my perception of the zoo, was widened. This scene did not represent conservation. The zoo as a space of animal captivity has been both a negative design as an exhibition experience, negatively
influencing how people relate and react to animals, nature, and the environment in general, while perpetuating superiority toward the ecological fabric. And in some cases a positive influence in changing the way society understands animal endangerment and extinction, while advocating public awareness of the human destruction of animal habitat and species, and sending a stronger message of ecological conservation and protection. Both the negative and positive influences of zoos occur globally, we should endeavor to support those who influence the positive approach, while altering our own understanding of the human effect on the environment, to ultimately and affirmatively make the need for zoos, redundant.
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Animal brutality can be understood as, the intentional physical abuse, ill treatment or neglect of an animal by a human. According to AFJ interviewees, motivation towards acts of animal brutality could be linked to the general cultural perception of animals as waste, food, and commodity or as a token. AFJ are taking positive steps in changing these cultural issues by promoting animal welfare education in schools and by having a strong adoption program running in Jogja!
A lot of what we encountered at the zoo was quite confronting, and the deer pen was no exception. Mostly paved or concreted with the rest being dirt that would have quickly turned to mud in the thunderstorms that came every afternoon. While they had troughs of feed, several deer were lined up by the fence with people feeding them grasses and leaves growing just outside their enclosure. 29
Southeast Asian box turtles are turtles of the genus Cuora in the family Geoemydidae, They are terrestrial and semiaquatic, dwelling quietly in swamp and peat swamp forests, marshes, wetlands, and shallow lakes that are dense with vegetation. This pileup is particularly dry and dusty in their concrete surrounds, with a distinct lack of clean water to immerse in, making their distinguishing colours and markings difficult to make out. Unregulated trade has caused Southeast Asian Box Turtles to almost vanish from parts of Indonesia. The turtles are used for meat and in traditional Chinese Medicine. Traders handle an average of 2.1 million Southeast Asian Box Turtles per year, mostly for export, driving these ancient languid creatures towards extinction if steps are not taken to address illegal trade and protect their diminishing habitats.
A micro world exists below the waves. The ebb and flow of the tide allows us to observe and interact with this world that we are intimately connected to. The seaweed that grows on the coastal reefs of Watu Kodok Beach are part of a local eco system- it is a food source for both humans and creatures of the sea. Environmental group, Ocean of Life Indonesia offered us a local perspective on issues of biodiversity repair.
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Ocean of Life Indonesia, located by southern Java’s beautiful seaside in the village of Kelor, is a family run organisation that aims to raise awareness of local, indigenous, and seasonal farming practices. Welcomed into their beautifully crafted, traditional Javanese house, we witnessed the purposeful preservation of Javanese culture through sustainable design techniques; using naturally degrading banana leaves instead of plastic; toilets connected to biogas; the collection of rainwater for drinking and greywater for use again after filtration and purification ; as well as nutritious foods sourced either from neighbouring farms or grown onsite. At the heart of Ocean of Life Indonesia lies the sharing of education towards conserving the environment, acknowledging the importance of adaptation to one’s area, to nature, and supporting biodiversity.
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Beyond the micro organisms that permit complex life to exist, humans are wholly dependent upon a functioning ecosystem to eat, drink and breathe, let alone enjoy the distractions of consumerism fuelling the destruction and exploitation of such foundational support systems.
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As soon as we were out of the densely populated areas of Jogja, rice paddies began to dot and soon dominate the landscape as we passed through it. At one of the permaculture farms that we visited we were told how traditional farmers relied on star positions and moon phases in the night sky to determine planting and harvesting seasons.
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CONTRIBUTORS 36
Alex Dolan
Angela Mullen
Golden hour
Gridlock traffic
Between a dump and a donut shop
Born to be wild
Maddy Dwight
Kara Simpson
Watukodok (rock frog) beach
The commodity of captivity
Emma Hodgson
Akira Sutton
Ebb tide
Kanal
Together
Jamur (fungi)
Waiting
Gutter cat
Wasted
Luke Thomasson
Eleni Kalandidou
What’s for lunch?
Dog in cage
Rice
Dog behind bars
Enclosure
Scarfaced cat Fenced kitties Dog behind fence Lucy Matthews Cool dogs Kucing (cat) Sapu upcycle
Shaun Wilson Catalogue design
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