Zoo Animals Invade The Streets To Show What Tolerant Society Would Look Like
Last spring I had two trips within ten days or so, first to Amsterdam, Holland, then to London, UK. While watching the people of all the different cultures and nationalities, with all sorts of extravagant personal styles and looks, I was wondering, how come during the few days I spent there, never once I’d noticed any some kind of sneery looks or comments between those people who dare to be different?
I’ve visited many multicultural cities before, but this type of thoughts have never crossed my mind before. Amsterdam, in particular, seemed to be the place, with the least level of intimidation between people, based on how a person looks like, or where he comes from. I had this thought: “a wild animal walking wouldn’t bother anybody too much here, as long as it minded its own business,” this is, pretty much, how the street photography idea for “The Zoo” series came.
Why do I have this type of thoughts anyway (tolerance between different people is, or at least is supposed to be, a common thing in civilized society)? I was born and raised in Lithuania, a former republic of the now non-existing country of Soviet Union. A nation, where everybody standing out of grey mass was completely legally bullied or even persecuted by the state. Having experienced the dark side of being outside of that “happy community,” while growing, and being in the distance of some 25 years from those days, I am thinking, what kind of person would I be, having been raised in a slightly more tolerant society.
The technical side of the series: I’ve been “shooting” streets since 2008, and the series contains photos taken in London, Paris, Barcelona, Berlin, Amsterdam. Most of the images are made of two single shots- the street scene and the zoo animal, obviously. Some street scenes have some minor photo manipulation done, made for the sake of the general composition.
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For me it is very sad. It is a metaphor that wild animals do not already have their place - we took everything on Earth.
This one time I literally came accross an elephant when leaving home from work. Thank God I was in a taxi and not walking on the street, or else I would have been paralised by shock! Are you familiar with Asterix, hilarious and instrutive French comic book frim some decades ago? The chief's, Abracurcix, worst fear was that one day the sky might fall over his head. I felt just like that: an irrational, laughable fear was ACTUALKY HAPPENING: a wild animal, AN ELEPHANT no less, was walking around my home street!!!! Later I found out that there was a circus in town and tbey were taking the elephant back to the circus after having taken it to the beach. Now, if I was shocked, imagine the people at the beach!!!!!!!!! I live in Brazil, there are no elephants here in nature, just the occasional tiny monkeys on the trees. SUR-REAL. I was in a painting by, say, who? Dalí? Magritte? REALITY IS USUALLY MORE SHOCKING THAN FANTASY!
Love Love Love these photos! Especially the one of the gorilla in the bookstore. Speaking of the gorilla, I'd like to see one of the gorilla sitting on the bus/subway that was in the collection.
This was a fantastic idea! And you've blended the images so perfectly. You really nailed the message.
For me it is very sad. It is a metaphor that wild animals do not already have their place - we took everything on Earth.
This one time I literally came accross an elephant when leaving home from work. Thank God I was in a taxi and not walking on the street, or else I would have been paralised by shock! Are you familiar with Asterix, hilarious and instrutive French comic book frim some decades ago? The chief's, Abracurcix, worst fear was that one day the sky might fall over his head. I felt just like that: an irrational, laughable fear was ACTUALKY HAPPENING: a wild animal, AN ELEPHANT no less, was walking around my home street!!!! Later I found out that there was a circus in town and tbey were taking the elephant back to the circus after having taken it to the beach. Now, if I was shocked, imagine the people at the beach!!!!!!!!! I live in Brazil, there are no elephants here in nature, just the occasional tiny monkeys on the trees. SUR-REAL. I was in a painting by, say, who? Dalí? Magritte? REALITY IS USUALLY MORE SHOCKING THAN FANTASY!
Love Love Love these photos! Especially the one of the gorilla in the bookstore. Speaking of the gorilla, I'd like to see one of the gorilla sitting on the bus/subway that was in the collection.
This was a fantastic idea! And you've blended the images so perfectly. You really nailed the message.
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