Fur on Screen (at FurCon San Jose)

A screening of short art films by Canadian contemporary film
and video artists — featuring animals and anthropomorphism
Saturday, January 15, 2011
FurCon: San Jose, California

Amalie Atkins
Clark Ferguson
Jean-Sebastien Gauthier
Jessica MacCormack
Allyson Mitchell
Caitlin Thompson
Christina Zeidler

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Curators Statement

Fur On Screen is a program of 7 experimental short films and videos made by artists from across Canada. Each of the artists presented have approached the idea of anthropomorphism in unique and interesting ways, some featuring some form of fursuiting and some not. A few of the works were selected for this screening because they use the fursuit (rudimentary though it may be) in novel and artistic ways, and others were chosen because thematically they address human/animal hybrids or transformation. The curators of the screening, Megan Morman and Cindy Baker, are artists and curators new to the world of fursuiting but certainly not new to the world of imaginative expression. Baker, an interdisciplinary and performance artist, has been performing with a mascot of herself for almost 3 years, and has created a fursuit for her mascot to wear at Further Confusion. Morman’s practice, among other things, addresses notions of representation and membership in arts/cultural communities.

Through Fur On Screen the curators hope to bring to the attendees of Further Confusion a selection of contemporary artworks that build connections between furry and contemporary art communities.

Three Minute Miracle, If Anything Should Happen to Get in my Way and Sea Room all introduce us to costumed animal characters whose anthropomorphized nature fit naturally into their fantastic worlds; in Three Minute Miracle, animals themselves are figures of magic and wonder. In the more realistic Dirtbelly, artist Caitlin Thompson wears a fursuit unlike most, and learns to move like a caterpillar would!

We Become Our Own Wolves uses the wolf as a metaphor for the roles we (and others) play in our lives, while Dead Meat uses anthropomorphism itself as a metaphor for epiphany. The curators hope that the furry audience will identify with these two videos especially, as they both speak to the ways in which humans have animalistic traits and features. Finally, Precious Little Tiny Love addresses the uncomfortable dualities inherent in being an animal-lover.

Through this screening, the curators hope to build new audiences for Canadian experimental film and video, and to build connections and friendships within the furry world.

– Cindy Baker and Megan Morman, January 2011