The fate of three flies
Installation, Book Design
A scenographic design that uses suggestion and association to deal with the subject of meat and questions our empathy.
The installation ‚The Fate of Three Flies‘ took place as part of an exhibition on the subject of meat. Illustrator Jan Bazing led a workshop in which communication designers dealt with the theme of meat. The resulting works were exhibited during the tour of the ABK (Academy of Fine Arts).
As there were no specific guidelines, Bartholomaedesign made use of the leeway and created an installation that takes an associative approach to the theme of meat without depicting meat itself. A butcher‘s hook, from which large carcasses of meat are usually hung - for example cattle or cow carcasses - hangs on a pole in front of a white tiled wall. This scene is underscored by the light of a pink neon tube, which emphasizes the ambience of a typical “naked” butcher‘s scene. These indicators create an association with meat in our minds without actually having to show meat, thus illustrating the playful task of communication design.
To take the meat aspect into a larger dimension, the scene was enriched with three flies caught in this installation. It is well known that flies quickly congregate around meat. They represent a further associative aspect and at the same time create a reflection. The viewer comes to a point where he feels empathy with the flies trapped there and wonders what will become of them.
Previously, we associated prepared meat on a hook at the butcher‘s or slaughterhouse. The controversy as to why we are less emotionally moved when we imagine a skinned and gutted animal on a hook, compared to our stronger empathy for the fate of three flies, makes us wonder. It seems that our empathy is only triggered by what we directly see.
We tend to ignore the fact that millions of mammals are slaughtered every day. We don‘t care about their fate until we see it and someone shows us the cruelty of factory farming. The installation ‚The fate of three flies‘ provokes and is directed against this repression. It encourages us to rethink our ethics and our meat consumption.
Butcher's hooks, white tiled wall, pink neon light - the installation stages an environment that we associate with meat. The context of keeping, slaughtering and preparing the animals for consumption also quickly becomes clear.
Three flies are living elements of the scenery. They reinforce the association with meat and also create an emotional connection to the trapped insects. This automatically raises questions.
Empathy with insects confronts us with a contradiction. The fate of countless animals that are slaughtered for consumption seems to affect us less as long as we don't see it.
A brochure explaining the content and concept of the installation gives visitors the opportunity to engage with the theme and design in a sustainable way.
A short textual introduction is followed by mainly pictorial impressions. The A4 brochure is bound with staples and printed on glossy paper.
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