Abstract This paper argues against empathy, and in favour of alterity as a basis for an animal-inclusive ethics. Taking up the conception of empathy posited by Elisa Aaltola’s Varieties of Empathy, I put it to the test with the ultimate limit case: the octopus. If, as Aaltola contends, we can feel-with a nonhuman animal through […]
Abstract The artwork feeler forms part of mOwson&M0wson’s ongoing artistic research into motherhood and the reproductive manipulation and control of non-human life forms. An iteration of the work is currently in the exhibition Octopus Encounters: An Immersive Library of Octopus Encounters at GLASMOOG. This paper will show and discuss the research and making of feeler. […]
Abstract I would like you to imagine a future world where octopus, tired of waiting for humans to gain the intellect to effectively communicate with other species of animals, have developed a language simple enough for humans to recognise and understand, a form of mental telepathy. What would it be like to have a conversation […]
Abstract NEOZOON ́s lecture focus will be their artistic film work and the investigation of speciesism BY using social media and pop cultural elements. For Okto-Lab, the Collective developed the 2-channel installation CEPHALIZATION, which deals with human octopods that consume themselves while telling disparaging jokes. The aim is always the modification of established visual patterns […]
Abstract In this presentation, I focus on the analysis of animal agency in the 1970 – short story „Aquário (Nápoles)“ (Aquarium (Naples)) by Brazilian writer João Guimarães Rosa. In this story, the narrator describes a moment observing one octopus in an aquarium in the city of Naples, specifically: how the animal acts after being poked […]
Abstract According to ancient Greek philosopher, Aristotle, the appropriateness of an animal’s environment—including not only the locale and resources, but also the existence of and company of others—is important for the animal’s survival and essential for the animal’s chance at thriving. In my presentation, I will consider the octopus world vis-a-vis Aristotle’s biological sources, exploring […]
Abstract In “Why look at Animals?” John Berger asked in his famous essay from 1977, in which he analysed the estrangement of humans and animals in the culture of capitalism. His criticism of the zoo as a place in which non-human animals are reduced to exhibition objects is still read and shared today. Interestingly, aquariums […]
Abstract Octopus encounters in Western popular music of the 1960s: well-known is “Octopus’s Garden” (The Beatles, Abbey Road, 1969). Around the same time, “Cement Octopus” (Malvina Reynolds/Pete Seeger, God Bless The Grass, 1966) and “Octopus” (Van der Graaf Generator, Aerosol Grey Machine, 1969) feature very different cephalopods.Meanwhile, Jean Painlevé’s 1967 film Les amours de la […]
Abstract Rachel Bailey takes up the challenge to respond to the famous 1814 woodblock-print by the Japanese artist Katsushika Hokusai (1760–1849) that depicts a sexual encounter between two octopuses and a female diver, popularly known in English as the “Dream of the Fisherman’s Wife”. The image is as shockingly repulsive as it is arousing, with […]
Abstract There are many octopuses in the literary world of English novelist Evelyn Waugh (1903-66). From the monstrous metaphor of Empire inherited from the late 19th Century, through to The Octopus and England (1928) critique of sprawling suburban architecture inherited from his friend Clough Williams. In Waugh’s novel though there are other octopuses – living […]
Abstract My presentation focuses on the monsterization process of a deep-sea dwelling animal, the giant squid. Today, the giant squid is usually understood as an animal that has evoked terror in humankind since the dawn of history and that the tales of these deep-sea monsters spread to the public domain from seafaring tales. In this […]
Abstract It is well known that the octopus is a master of deception: they can adopt the form of a stone, for example, to hide from irksome sights. But they are not simply content with being invisible and watching their surroundings through a watchful eye. They are also masters of metamorphosis, heroes of metis, capable […]
Abstract See with the skin, smell with suckers, change colour for social interactions and sense the world with a brain distributed across the body. These octopus abilities shape a mind that is possibly one of the most different non-human forms of intelligence to our own. The octopus inspires us to explore altered ways of being […]
Octopuses in Interdisciplinary Perspective A Virtual Conference30/31 October 2020 Schedule Day 1 Day 2