The Lives of Animals

“We Must Somehow Make the Relay, Inherent The Trouble, and Reinvent the Conditions for Multispecies Flourishing.”

- Donna Haraway, For the Wild

The Concept

The installation features a physicial dinner table laden with metaphor constructed by Joelle Provost and Theresa Nguyen from reclaimed materials, representing our connection to the earth. Surrounding the table are eight stone plates, each crafted by artist Sean Carney to symbolize notable environmental travesties caused by human activity. At the center lies the cake of overconsumption, designed by Tess Felix, which serves as a metaphor for humanity’s pursuit of unsustainable modes of pleasure at the expense of ecological balance. Wax trees will replace traditional candles, emphasizing the destructive influence of industrial practices.

Project Overview

The Lives of Animals project aims to lift the veil that covers people’s eyes, ears, and hearts to the reality of mass animal suffering across the globe. Provost’s objective is to give animals a seat at the table, underscoring animals’ omission from all of history and current events headlines despite being at the whim of human activity here on planet A. The table as installation intends to highlight our ecosystem from a holistic point of view that expresses the agony of the ecosystem from an animalistic perspective due to the modern humanized concept of progress fueled by the idea of greed by using consumerism as a tool. On the other hand it expresses resilience by portraying mother nature’s capability of healing itself and taking care of others despite being continuously affected by the poison of greed.

The hope is that through this project and similar projects, the conversation can continue to broaden and animal welfare will be a worthy topic of conversation from an empathetic point of view, not just one brushed aside by alarmist animal activist groups. Provost believes that once we tune into the lives of animals we will soon be on our way to evolutionary peace.

In addition to the eight dinner plates representing eight distinctive environmental travesties caused by human activity, The installation will feature palm-sized animals and other components of the environment that represent both suffering and thriving ecosystems. The monolithic table, made from upcycled wood, will appear to be swallowing a cake of pleasure, as emblem of overconsumption, illustrating nature's resilience and its ability to restore balance despite detrimental human interference.

Every donation makes a big difference.

Right now, we are aiming to provide our artists with the time and resources to begin devoting the month of November to this project. Become a crucial part of the Lives of Animals Project by bringing it to life.

Honoring the Lives of Animals through an Indigenous Worldview

Indigenous peoples lived in reciprocal, respectful relationships with our non-human relatives, including animals, for hundreds of thousands of years before colonization and capitalism. Currently, species worldwide are going extinct at rates 1,000 to 10,000 times faster than expected everywhere that capitalism and consumerism have encroached. We are in the midst of a sixth mass extinction, driven by harmful human activity. While biodiversity is declining globally, Indigenous lands generally experience significantly less decline. Indigenous knowledge, passed down through generations, may very well be one of the keys to protecting our non-human relatives from harm within the sacred system of life.

The Lives of Animals resonates with traditional values that Indigenous cultures have for the sacred system of life, viewing them not as resources but as vital components of a shared existence. This profound respect comes from the understanding that all of life is related, a connection absent in the over-consumption of western cultures. Generations of living in harmony with the environment have cultivated Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK), guiding respectful interactions with all living beings. Ceremonies of gratitude recognize animals’ roles in the sacred system of life.

This project embodies this philosophy, aiming to welcome us all back into relationships of reciprocity and interconnection with all of our non-human relatives -- those who fly, walk on four legs, swim or crawl beneath the earth, aligning with Joelle’s artistic vision of honoring animal lives.

Meet the LOA Team

Want to learn more about the project?

If you wish to learn more about the project, feel free to reach out to joelleprovostfineart@gmail.com.

Every donation makes a big difference.

Right now, we are aiming to provide our artists with the time and resources to begin devoting the month of November to this project. Become a crucial part of the Lives of Animals Project by bringing it to Life.