The Chinese Softshell Turtle, or Pelodiscus sinensis, is an olive-brown turtle with a splotchy, flexible shell, webbed feet, and a long snout. Its presence in the wild is threatened both by changing environmental conditions and by its tastiness; in many parts of Asia, Pelodiscus meat is a popular delicacy, and farms across China breed the turtles for food.
In his installation work Cage for Pelodiscus Sinensis (pictured here) from 2006, part of his ongoing Zoological Classification project, the Belgian artist Wesley Meuris displayed an empty habitat labelled as an enclosure for the Pelodiscus.
But whether this particular cage was meant as a sanctuary to preserve a diminishing species, for farming it as food, or for its zoo-like display was not determined and the viewer was left to wonder what type of animal it was built for, or indeed if perhaps this had already been driven to extinction.
Meuris has designed similar vacant enclosures for monkeys, foxes, kangaroos and hippos, according to the exact measurements and needs of the specific species in question. Without an inhabitant these sterile, institutional cages becomes both prisons and stages – and the viewer-turned-voyeur becomes the one held captive by the melancholy scene beyond the glass. p (ew)
PRODUCT GROUP
MANUFACTURER
New and existing Tumblr users can connect with uncube and share our visual diary.
Uncube is brandnew and wants to look good.
For best performance please update your browser.
Mozilla Firefox,
Internet Explorer 10 (or higher),
Safari,
Chrome,
Opera