Objects
Beaver & Wood Cores
A trans-species cooperation
The beaver‘s Oeuvre in the anthropocene:
Just like humans, the beaver is an animal that has a strong influence on the environment due to its unchecked creative urge.
The objects on show illustrate the diversity of the beaver‘s creative power. A view at the beaver‘s work with its wood objects may help to overcome the limitatons of our species and to reflect also human actions. Additionally, the sculptures produceed by beavers are an occasion to reconsider the urge for creating and overproduction, including the art business. Today, we increasingly realize that we are living in the anthropocene, a time characterized by overexploitation, environmental poisoning and climate change.
Beaver & Material:
The preferred material of the beaver is willow wood, with poplars and aspens a good second choice.
The wood consumption of the beaver is substantial as it serves the beaver
1. for nutrition (tree bark, foliage and young sprouts)
2. as building material chewed to the right lengths for the beaver lodges
3. for food caches, where fresh wood is kept for the winter time
4. for building dams, that regulate the water level, making sure that the entrance to the lodge is below the water surface
5. for making art in form of wood cores.
Beaver & Dams:
Especially the beaver dams can shape and change the landscape. They are artful constructions with stones for foundations, that the beaver cares for over many years sealing them with mud and foliage. In this way the beaver creates or enlarges wetlands while at the same time producing drylands and drought on the other side of the dam, where riverbed don’t receive enough water any more. A grown beaver can fell per night a tree with a diameter of more than 20cm. The felling is arbitrary with the beaver taking chances that the trees fall into the water where it is easier for him to float the timber.
Beaver's New Year'a Greeting
Lecture-Performance 18'27"