The Grinning Machine and a Closemouthed Growl II

Installation in collaboration with Toon Fibbe, 2018-2019, variable dimension, (Wolf-masks, wood, wire, color-lamp, candles, panels, projection, fur coat, fur textile, pink foam, plastic hand, green slime)

In the parallel, digital universe of the internet, there is a subculture of people who deep down identify themselves not as human, but as an animal or mystical being, they call themselves ‘Otherkin’. How can we understand Otherkin? Is the radical denial of their human descent an escape from a high-demanding, fast-paced society, or is it a radical act against a capitalist system in which every form of otherness is categorised or turned into a product? How do their fantasies, stories and myths relate to everyday reality offline?

In the installation GRINNING MACHINES and a CLOSEMOUTHED GROWL, three hairy wolf sculptures vomit images onto their surroundings by carefully placed beamers inside their stomachs. We hear monologues of teenagers talking about their inner-wolf – how they can no longer relate to being human and rather form a community of otherkin – animals or mythical creatures trapped in human bodies.

This project came about after a three year long engagement with otherkin communities.

At ‘Almende – The Second Triënnale of Beetsterzwaag’, Sep 2018, In Collaboration with Toon Fibbe, Foto’s by Eric Giraudet en Wiedijk