Although there are many notable things coming up in May, it’s quite worthwhile to mention one of the most (in)famous things that came up in our local art scene last month: the “chicken incident” at ACAD.
Performance artist Miguel Suarez made a bold statement in the school cafeteria when he presented a final project in the form of a live chicken. Surrounded with his observant classmates and passers-by, he calmed the chicken down, slit its throat, removed the feathers and placed it in a cooking pot. As soon as the ritual was complete, one of his classmates immediately got on their phone and called the police. When the police arrived, so did major news outlets and a humourous scene played out as authorities proceeded to tape off the bloody crime scene. It was a media frenzy and a roaring, socially-conscious performance art success.
But oh my, the analyses! The story was spun on animal cruelty and cold-blooded murder, told by people whose leather shoes matched their leather belt, which matched their leather jacket, which matched their BDSM outfits.
It is, however, debatable how much these things really resembled their dinner and therein lies the point. We don’t really know where our food comes from and the disconnect we’ve developed is reaching a point of traumatic disillusion. The process Suarez used is considered, across the world, to be a very ethical method for slaughtering animals as food. Islamic and Jewish people call this Dhabihah, which is part of kosher and halal practices. The standard in North American slaughterhouses is to electrocute or gas the animals into unconsciousness before cutting, for which tests have revealed more painful and prolonged nervous responses. The performance has been a great “radical art school” conversation opener. The school is dealing with a $1-million budget cut and students need to afford, learn to prepare and eat real food somehow, especially since the cafeteria is being… chopped.
On a lighter note, perhaps check out a really cool show opening mid-month at the Art Gallery of Calgary, called “Garage Montage,” featuring works from several local emerging artists working collaboratively or in collectives, and normally falling into the “DIY” category of display spaces outside of artist-run centres, commercial galleries or government funding.
By Cait Lepla
