This was an incredibly tongue-and-cheek look at conservation practices, especially Aotearoa's "Predator Free 2050" style of doing things. The goal was to have this sensitive, heated discussion in a way that reminded everyone of who's really the problem here: people. Specifically: white people. Instead of displacing our guilt onto small mammals and trying to genocide them out of the country, the presentation aims to re-center our responsibility for these animals too, and the realistic long-term plans for Aotearoa's ecology.
Obviously, this is some pretty serious stuff! So, I used humour as a tool to diffuse some of these heavy feelings, letting us laugh at ourselves so that we can process our guilt, then we can really look forward with empathy and consideration.
The presentation was really successful, and everyone in the class responded that they understand the ideas more than they used to, and that they were more open to them. Hopefully, this method of communication could be carefully used to have all sorts of difficult conversations.
28th of May 2024
Other Projects
2024
2023
2022
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Through Their Eyes
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How to Mend with Stabbing
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Queer Aesthetics
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Joy in Weave
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Living Buildings
Then and Now
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Artefacts
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Willow the Wisp
Humans and "Predator Free"