Some movies, like art, stick in your mind and haunt you for years after you have viewed them. Back in 2012 I watched Beasts of the Southern Wild, a brilliant allegory about love, danger, courage and chaos. The raw story covers themes of climate change, health care, coming of age rituals, family loyalty and dysfunctional government. It touched my heart and lingers there still. In it the Beasts were represented by an ancient species called Aurochs. These are the creatures that the cave painters illustrated. According to their DNA, they are a precursor to our modern cattle.
Playing with three dimensional forms I found a way to change a square into a 4-legged beast.
Here one day, gone the next.
While the aurochs were a robust species they went extinct around 1600 because of over hunting and loss of habitat. It’s a sad but all too common story on earth.
Cattle are followers.
In our modern day, one may ask: should we act as cattle? Can we decide for ourselves what is right or wrong? Should we succumb to the barrage of media and managed images aimed at twisting our minds to follow or forget? As another failing species, do we not know that war is wrong, lies do wound, and a society built only on individual freedom is bound to hurt us all? When do we change from an I, ME, MINE society to the WE that will heal the rifts?
These guys are not so much an invasion as a reminder that if we go brainless into the future our future will be fraught.
My beasts are cuddly.
Creating headless beasts from previously made quilts is a way I can process the chaos and dangers I see and hear all around me. They are huggable in their innocence. They are each defined by their raw materials. They make me laugh and I imagine them herding together for safety.
I hope they regain their heads.