urbanimal - wild and feral animals within the town and suburbs
We have been commissioned by the Storey Gallery Lancaster to research for and make a proposal for a major project as part of their Inside Out programme of arts activities, ongoing pending the refurbishment and re-launch of the Storey Institute in late 2008
Our focus in Lancaster stems from our awareness of the wide range of responses to 'wildlife' as it is encountered within urban
environments by city dwellers. Long ago, settlements and therefore latterly, cities were predicated on the concept of refuge
and a physical division of culture and nature. Clearly such division has proved increasingly porous as more and more animals
and birds consider concentrations of human population an attraction rather than a deterrent because of the opportunities such
culture provides in terms of habitat and feeding. For some, the presence of these creatures - pigeons, starlings, rats, mice,
foxes, and all manner of insects is a threat of some kind, a kind of leakage and therefore a representation of the fragility of
our insulation from the 'wild', the unpredictability and chaos of 'nature'. For others, the enfolding of human and animal habitats
is a source of fascination and pleasure. Obviously many others again have little conscious awareness until their boundaries are
infringed upon.
Most significantly for us is this mixture of responses and an appreciation of the cohesion of the human/nature paradigm.
Our plan in Lancaster has been to work with a number of local individuals and associations in the early stages, in order to identify key incidences and issues specific to human environments in and around Lancaster. In order to have some insight into specific perceptions and limits of tolerance and 'animal infringement' we were keen to establish a working relationship with those undertaking pest control in and around the city. The Pest Control Office, operating within the Environmental Health Department for Lancaster City Council has been generous in their assistance during this stage of the project.
This initial research was conducted during August and September 2007.
