GU YI
Research Festival
Over the past year, I have delved into the human-animal connection based on shaping human-animal hybrids. At the Research festival in December, my goal is to delve into the connection between humans and animals under modern technology. By exploring animals in modern society, I try to get humans to think about ethical issues and the challenges they will face. This article will provide an overview of how technology, climate, urbanization, ethics, and art have shaped modern humans' relationship with animals. To enhance the meaning of my work.
Mind map
My research aims to understand the evolution of human-animal relationships from multiple perspectives, with a particular focus on the impact of technology. For example, technological applications such as monitoring devices for household pets and GPS tracking for wildlife have made it easier for humans to protect animals, but have also raised questions of privacy and freedom. Similarly, climate change is shifting animal habitats, forcing humans to coexist with wildlife migrating to cities. This complex interaction not only changes our daily lives but also causes us to rethink our relationship with animals. There are deep ethical dilemmas behind these challenges, which I hope to explore and answer in this research session.
Fitting GPS Ankle Collar. Photo: Kelvin Trautman
Old vs New Tracking Collar. Photo by Kelvin Trautman
urban wildlife
Research method
In order to explain and analyze these problems better in this paper, I have adopted a variety of research methods. First, I collected a large amount of literature and research data to sort out the specific impacts of science and technology, climate change, urbanization and media on the relationship between humans and animals. In the process, I found that many of the discussions about pet technology, wildlife monitoring, genetic engineering, etc., are full of contradictions and controversies. For example, it is clear that GPS devices help protect animals, but whether they violate the "autonomy" of animals is also a hotly debated topic.
I also focused on the impact of climate change and urbanization on animal habitats in my paper. For example, global warming is forcing certain species to migrate to new areas, which can lead to conflicts between humans and animals. To that end, I reviewed numerous studies related to animal migration, understood the impact of climate change on habitats, and thought deeply about the ethical dilemmas that can arise when protecting animal habitats. In addition, in the section on urbanization, I investigated the adaptation of urban animals, including how they survive in urban environments, how they use human resources, and even how they establish new interactions with humans.
To explore these relationships in depth, I also introduced social and cultural perspectives, examining the role of the media in shaping animal images. Nowadays, the appearance of animals in advertisements and entertainment makes them symbolized and form certain cultural symbols. These images often meet human expectations but ignore the independence of animals. To this end, in my paper, I explore the impact of symbolization of animal images and ask whether such cultural behavior will weaken human respect for the real existence of animals.
Animal image symbolization
Challenge and reflection
One of the main challenges I encountered in the course of my research was how to balance the depth of the various topics, covering areas such as technology, climate, urbanization, and so on, while also exploring ethical issues in depth in each aspect. In order to understand these topics more fully, I have to compare and analyze data from different disciplines, such as ethics, ecology, and the application of science and technology. I am also aware that different disciplines define "morality" and "ethics" in different ways, so these concepts need to be carefully collated and interpreted.
In the process of conducting this research, it has brought many challenges to my artistic creation and also prompted me to deeply reflect on the artistic expression of the relationship between humans and animals. A major challenge was to present the fusion of human and animal elements in a subtle way. I hope the work can trigger the viewer's tactile feeling, not just the visual experience. However, there are often anatomical and proportional difficulties in capturing this blend. In order to make a natural transition between human and animal characteristics, to create an existence that seems to exist in reality, I had to carefully study biological structures and so on and at the same time be aesthetically pleasing, which was not easy.
Another challenge is how to reflect the relationship of human dominance over animals in creation. The human perspective in traditional painting is often dominant, and I hope to re-explore this relationship through art. To do this, I had to overcome some inherent stereotypes and avoid the work inadvertently reinforcing anthropocentrism. How to avoid this unconscious tendency is an area that I have repeatedly tried to improve in my creation.
In addition, finding the right materials and technical means to capture these delicate relationships is also challenging. Because these works need to embody realistic touch and vivid details, I also encountered difficulties in the selection of painting materials. Digital painting is more expressive than oil painting in some details, but I hope the effect between the two can be organically combined to enhance the viewer's multi-sensory experience.
These challenges prompted me to reflect deeply on the responsibility and ethics of artistic creation. I realized that the relationship between humans and animals is extremely complex and cannot be conveyed simply by mixing images. In the process of creation, I gradually realized that art is not only a tool to express and reshape the world, but also a way to reflect on the relationship between myself and others. Whenever I try to combine human and animal elements in a coherent form, I wonder: Does this combination truly honor the essence of both? Is it inadvertently creating a new bias?
In addition, I reflected on the audience's reaction. Interpretations of human-animal hybrids are often influenced by cultural context and personal experience, and I hope that the work will not only bring discomfort or spectacle, but inspire viewers to rethink the relationship between humans and nature. Such reflection has given me a deeper understanding of the communication function of art, and also prompted me to constantly adjust my way of creation to make my works more open and inclusive.