Zoonoses - A Visual Narrative

Abstract

A zoonosis (zoonoses pl.) is classified as an infection or infectious disease that is transferred from an animal host to a human. Up to seventy per cent of all new diseases have their genesis in animal hosts.2 My practice-led research uses drawing as a narrative tool, to consider human fear of animal hosts in the context of their association with zoonoses, and draws parallels between the representation of animals in fairy tales, myths, and rhymes. Three main areas of investigation inform and underpin my outcomes. The first area is the exploration of zoonotic diseases. Here I examine human culpability in the spread of zoonotic pathogens, our representation of animals in popular culture, and the resulting perception of animals in the context of fear of disease. This perception is informed through theorist Steve Baker’s concepts of “animal-endorsed” and “animal-skeptical”3 and sociologist Kay Pegg’s perceptions of ‘good’ and ‘bad’ animals.4 Contemporary artists Roger Hiorns and Patricia Piccinini’s works inspired by zoonotic diseases/viruses or pathogens provide a contextual basis for examining the role of contemporary visual art in addressing these concerns. The second area of investigation references the role of fairy tales and rhymes, both historically and as a tool to subversively relay information in the present. I investigate the work of artists Katarina Fritsch, Paula Rego, and Kiki Smith who have explored myth, fairy tales, and rhymes as iconology within their practices. The third area addresses sociologist Stanley Cohen’s concepts of moral panic, social anxiety, and states of denial as outcomes of the media’s representation of zoonotic outbreaks. This research has resulted in the creation of lithographic diptychs, sculptures, and artist books containing created rhymes and wallpapers. These works use fairy tales, myths, and rhymes as a metaphor to discuss zoonotic outbreaks in a non-threatening and gentle manner. I employ these tropes within my studio practice and in the methodology that I share with Rego and Smith. By focusing on the narrative possibilities associated with various host animals, I argue that we can use fairy tales and rhymes and associated anthropomorphism to both discuss and educate about zoonotic viruses and various animal hosts in a way that generates greater understanding of the natural world.