Comments on: Call for SF-Region Animal Stories: Fritz Haeg’s Animal Estate Regional Model Homes 5.0: San Francisco

By: Sein

Sein — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 14:34:36 +0000

Are the people against the Animal Estates projects, familiar with Fritz Haeg’s work? I highly doubt it. When you do study his work and hear his genuine intentions, love and respect for the animals he “works” with… it is you who sounds ridiculous. Before you become such a critic, you might want to look into what you are critiquing. (And Youtube spoofs by people with too much time on their hands does not count) Then, you might have some validity in your remarks. If you don’t get it. Just say you don’t. I am a little sad for you though.

I find his work thoughtful and genuine, simple and very real. Before the Whitney Bienniel, I had no idea who he was, and the beautiful installation and integration of the Animal Estates in our urban setting (in this case Breuer’s building) made me a believer that this was all very possible. Not only did the depth of his work impress me, I sought out Haeg’s body of work and find it all incredible and amazing how involved he is with so many different communities all over the country. I know it has raised more awareness in NYC and hopefully it will do the same with the animals and the way people in San Francisco can relate to them.

By: Jonathan

Jonathan — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 04:22:39 +0000

To Brandon:
Please understand that subversion is best achieved when you can draw someone near (whisper & a carrot instead of yelling & a stick.) The modern environmental movement detracts those who it most needs to reach. Please appreciate someone who is trying a different tact.

By: Judi Collins

Judi Collins — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 02:38:35 +0000

SERIOUSLY,
this piece is so ridiculous!
listen to him speak about it,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Sc3aK5YV3U

Art for the Whitney or 3rd grade art class?!?

My favorite YouTube parody:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PkFJB6xrMVI

By: Celeste McMullin

Celeste McMullin — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 22:06:37 +0000

In November 2006, I was swimming in Aquatic Park as I have done for the past twenty years as a member of the Dolphin Club. I was enjoying the swim when I felt a brush under my feet..and thought to myself.. “that feels like whiskers”…..
A few seconds later, I saw a seal or sea lion ( this has been a topic of discussion since the episode happened) pop up next to me…. As I continued to swim , the animal began to follow me…Then, things got scary… The animal started nipping at my legs… I promptly turned back to shore and realized, I was being followed…
I continued to be followed all the way to the beach being repeatedly bitten + nipped on my legs …
Got out, and walked the beach until I was able to get into the showers at the Club..
Promptly called the Marine Mammal Center from the showers who instructed me to go to the hospital to get the wounds cleaned…California Pacific Emergency room intake people were surprised at the story to say the least..

Needless to say… realized that for all these years, I have been sharing the Bay with lots of creatures… this one just decided to get a bit more familiar …

By: Dominic

Dominic — Sat, 31 May 2008 02:18:44 +0000

Someone told me that, in the days and weeks after that tiger escaped from SF Zoo on Christmas Day, there were a series of attempted break outs by other animals.

By: Taira Restar

Taira Restar — Thu, 29 May 2008 16:52:23 +0000

Out of the corner of my eye, I see a dark shape on the side of the road. I turn back to inspect. I discover a Red-tailed Hawk dead and not yet cold. It is holding a mouse in its talons. The hawk is magnificent– absolutely perfect, except that one eye has popped out of the eye socket. I look through that eye. My eye looking through the eye of a hawk. Looking around at my neighborhood, my home, my family, my self. Looking into the metaphor. Seeing in a new way.

Imagine soaring above, way above, and looking down at trees, roads, mice, a woman walking. Imagine knowing, deeply and fully knowing, that we are interconnected, that we are one.

Sometimes through grace (or hard work), life, art and Spirit merge.

By: Suzanne

Suzanne — Tue, 27 May 2008 17:49:42 +0000

Brandon, can you say more about this, about what is insulting? I think the intention is in part to encourage people to think about the issues you enumerate above, and to teach people how to build and then re-insert at least small habitable environments–”estates”–for animals displaced by urban architectures and massive development. While it might be rather small-scale to have large impact on the rapid eradication of wild animal populations, as you say above, Fritz Haeg’s project is a form of education and advocacy. Four weekends dedicated to thinking about how each of these animals has been displaced, what an urban-environment-friendly habitat might look like for each creature, tools to build the habitats, and information on how to install them….

By: Brandon Larson

Brandon Larson — Tue, 27 May 2008 17:25:34 +0000

This project is conceptually stupid– a joke from the title on down, and insults the many people whose lives are dedicated to the preservation and restoration of natural habitats. Considering the recent WWF report that the wild animal population of planet Earth as dwindled by nearly 30% in the past 35 years (while the human population has doubled (1970=3.7 billion, 2007=6.5 billion) it is clear that what is required is more education, more advocacy on all fronts, from all of the disciplines of the humanities, and finally more resources dedicated to the actual needs of the non-human populations of this planet.
The last thing animals need is more architecture.