“Communication is nothing more than the exchange of information. Hence, at its broadest sense, environmental communication is necessary for the survival of every living system, be it an organism, an ecosystem, or a social system.”
-Alexander G. Flo (Environmental Communication, 2004)
The interdisciplinary field of environmental humanities weaves together research from the natural, applied, and social sciences with storytelling, art, creativity, and community building. It values indigenous ways of knowing as well as non-human perspectives.
The Duck
Kenedy Lucas was inspired to make this art piece after reading Clarice Lispector’s short story, “The Chicken.”
Kenedy explains it was Lispector’s use of anthropomorphism that drew her attention. “The way she uses anthropomorphism makes this story more compelling because it makes us see the point of view of an animal.”
To show how we anthropomorphize the animals we share our homes with, Kenedy decided to paint an exquisite Victorian-style portrait of her pet duck, Canela.
Her art piece was painted using acrylics and was framed with a wooden border woven with white flowers. In her accompanying response paper, Kenedy connected her painting both to our course readings which had discussed J.J. Grandville’s illustrations of anthropomorphic animals and to our modern-day treatment of domesticated animals as valued members of our families.
Kenedy’s portrait of Canela was a hit with her friends and family.
“When I finished this portrait, many of my friends liked his painting, and they asked me if I can paint their pets. . . . Many owners wanted their pets to be painted in clothes, and others wanted to imitate album covers or movie characters. One of my friends also wanted me to paint her dog in a suit because she liked the idea of clothing. I found this interesting, how many owners describe their pets as if they were human.”