Ducks & Chickens

Animal and human societies have evolved over millions of years in each other’s company, a web of complex relationships and food systems that were at the heart of human survival. As the commodification of all aspects of society has accelerated in recent decades, so too has the commercialization of animal life and the mechanization of our food chain. Disconnection from these relationships has forged a profound alienation from the formerly sacred nature of these dependencies.As independent farms have given way to factory farming, livestock production has undergone a transformation. The existence of the modern day factory farm is a brutality that most could not endure to witness. There, chickens and ducks are subjected to unimaginable suffering in appalling conditions. Packed as tightly as possible into filthy structures, these sentient creatures are born, live, and die deprived of access to the outdoors, natural light, space to move, or the freedom to live according to the natural behaviors and biological wiring that govern their existence. Their growth is dictated by the chemical concoctions that flood their bodies. Injury, illness, and mutilated physical features are the inescapable realities of their unnatural world.Chicken's & Ducks is a series of portraits of these beautiful creatures that aims to raise awareness of their character and dignity, and the stark contrast with the degradation in which so many currently live. The chickens, ducks and eggs are photographed against historical country toile wallpaper featuring scenes of the lost pastoral utopia we associate with farming. They are captured in a manipulated environment, one that showcases them according to the vision, tastes and preferences of the human audience. The birds mirror the careful, self-conscious poses of humans. As we view these birds, and anthropomorphize their expression and emotion, what kind of life do we begin to hope for them?