Animals by Carroll Henry;

Author:Carroll, Henry;
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Abrams, Inc.
Published: 2021-10-26T00:00:00+00:00

ALFIO TOMMASINI

How might an animal view technology?

Alfio Tommasini takes us back to the place where it all began. That is, the place in the Swiss Alps where, around seven thousand years ago, humans first evolved the ability to digest the lactose in cow’s milk—a little freak of nature that gave birth to the modern dairy industry. Tommasini presents a picture of dairy farming that is both ancient and modern, a process dependent on a close connection between humans, animals, and land, as well as technology.

His photographs of smallholder farmers are earthy and intimate. Though most of the photographs were made during the harsh winter months, a tactile warmth permeates the images. The weathered hands of farm workers on their animals is a recurring motif in Tommasini’s images, and his diptychs imply an almost spiritual symbiosis between animals and landscape; the lines of topographic features are echoed in the markings on animals; warm milk resembles cold snow; exposed earth could be mistaken for cow hides.

Occasionally we see inside high-tech laboratories. In opposition to the cowsheds and mountain tracks, these spaces are climate controlled and cleaner than clean. Caged in by technology and touched by human hands gloved in latex, the cows make a sudden shift from animal to product. They appear out of place, and the primordial connection with humans—the state of respectful codependence that has been in place for thousands of years—is broken. In Tommasini’s images we see another evolution taking place, this time technological rather than biological. And with our relatively newfound taste for technology, it is easy to see what we are giving up. Harder to see is what there is to gain.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.