Works
Hybridity in art and science
Hybridity in art and science, previously exhibited at the 2013 dOCUMENTA in Kassel, Germany, chronicles Vanmechelen’s Cosmopolitan Chicken Project; the different genetic lines of each chicken species in Vanmechelen’s universal breeding project are presented in a monographic series of booklets. Additionally, Vanmechelen exhibits his dossier consisting of interdisciplinary projects and of scientific papers. A DVD of the Cosmopolitan Chicken Research Project (CC®P) showcases one of these collaborations with scientists. Alongside, a series of passport photographs is displayed depicting the different generations of chickens in the CCP.
Leaving paradise
The installation Leaving Paradise houses the Red Junglefowl, the first chicken from which all domestic chickens are descended. These proto-chickens are now on the brink of extinction, protected but imprisoned by their paradise. The Junglefowl’s cousins became an evolutionary success when they were domesticated: human altered chicken, chicken altered human. Now the chicken is a cosmopolitan ambassador of the interplay of culture, art, and biology, a living testament of the force of biocultural diversity. Leaving paradise by breaking the cage is the only way leading to paradise.
Mechelse Silky
The Mechelse Silky is the 14th generation in Koen Vanmechelen’s Cosmopolitan Chicken Project. This bird is the product of the Mechelse Orloff (13th generation) and the Silky chicken breeds. The Silky is a very peculiar, docile Chinese bird named for its atypically fluffy plumage. The breed has several other unusual qualities, such as dark blue flesh and bones, blue earlobes, and five toes on each foot. Most chickens only have four. The Mechelse Silky was previously exhibited in the World Exhibition in Shanghai.
Symbiosis
Every organism is looking for another organism to survive; the same applies to man and chicken, says Koen Vanmechelen. This idea is solidified in his sculpture Symbiosis: half human head, half chicken. Showcasing the artist’s innovative use of modern technology, the sculpture was made by scanning the heads of the artist and a chicken and then combining them using 3D-printing. The message could not be clearer: man is not the only agent in our world, evolution is an interplay of different species. Our faiths are intertwined. Symbiosis is a reality, biocultural diversity a necessity.
Carried by generations
A transparant egg cradled by a nest of chicken feet. Filled with the hopeful promise of an unknowable future: what will hatch from the egg? Invisibly sculpted by previous generations, keepers of history through their genetic code: the next generation is ready to flourish.
Ringed
The ringing of his chickens is an essential part of Koen Vanmechelen’s Cosmopolitan Chicken Project. It defines exactly where each animal fits into the international chicken crossbreeding programme. Taken out of context, the ring represents the complex issue of identity: it becomes a symbol of diversity and the connection between cultures. The work problematizes our notion of identity and questions its rigidity. The idea of the hybrid allows for a myriad new ideas, or: breaking out of the cage.
In digest
The video installation In digest is about the dream we call reality and our futile attempts to influence it. The artist looks over the ebb and flow. His attempts to order and interpret his perceptions are projected on the blackboard behind him. By crossing different species of chickens in his Cosmopolitan Chicken Project, Koen Vanmechelen restructures and redefines reality. He tries to capture the outcome of this artistic/scientific endeavor in a formula. But whatever he does, the make-up stays the same. Reality is unpredictable and uncontrollable. The only answer is silence.