The Council of Animals (what to do about the monkeys) is a piece to encourage dialogue amongst the planetary family. Three large metal animals - an elephant, a polar bear, and a rhino - make up the judges. A chicken is making an appearance as a PETA representative, perched on Rhino. Coyote is here too, with his fancy burning earth talking stick, as intermediary. There are benches for the humans. If the animals could speak our language, what would they have to say about the way we treat them?
The meaning:
It was a surprise, as a young person, when I realized that none of my classmates thought of themselves as animals, that they thought of themselves as somehow separate, superior, like we were dropped in from another reality. I grew up close to the dirt, with animals as friends and foes alike, as equals. So it was a shock, in that fifth grade classroom -wait, what? I've been thinking about it ever since.
We are one family, on one planet. The human race, the elephant race, all of the animal & insect & fish & plant races, we are all part of the same family. Humans are not special! We are just good at using our hands, and equipped with powerful language-equipped minds. We can use them to do better, we can make up for our past mistakes, we have a judgement to answer to. And we can. We can make the world a wonderful place for all of our family. But we must choose to do so, and engage a positive future.
So, this piece. To be judged, by the animals. We're all in it together, we are one family. Let's talk about it.
Sponsors for the Council of Animals! Huge Thanks
https://burningman.org/programs/burning-man-arts/ Provided the original grant, originally for 2020 but debuted in 2022. I took advantage of the extra time to do a really good job!
www.peta.org PETA hosted the piece in Washington DC for the summer. The Council was on display at the National Mall from July 13 - Sept 3, 2023 - and met many people, and hopefully, changed or inspired a few!
The piece is now active in my local community in Tonasket WA - while they await further trips out to change the world.