I have been playing around with the idea of working with Pelicans for some time now. I see them every day I pass the lagoon to go to my class or my studio at CCS, yet I never really have any real interaction with them. I want to figure out a way to work with them to attain something I can hold and feel. So i have this idea that I will place paper across the dock where they sit and sleep every day and put a nice dusting of charcoal all over the paper. Hopefully, when the Pelicans rest on the paper or walk on it, they will track their movements themselves. I am still toying with the idea, however, because I am not sure if they would be aware that they are collaborating with me.
This quandary has forced me to start thinking about what a true collaboration is. I feel that in order to achieve true collaboration, both parties (me and the animal/s) need to be aware that they are creating something together, whether that means art or simply a connection. the problem I see with this current idea and other possible ideas I may have if I decide to abandon this idea yet continue to work with wild animals, is that they would be actually unaware of what they are doing to some degree--the pelicans probably would notice a change in the surface of their dock, but would not be aware of the fact that they are being used to create art. In a sense, they would be extorted by me if they are not aware of what they are doing. I am not sure what to do.
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