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Blog: 'SHIFTERS' from Marta Bogdańska - a documentary about animal spies - suspicious squirrels, spying dolphins and nuclear lizards

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The MACK BOOKS Firstbookaward is a publishing prize open to artists who have not previously had a book published. Each year, the jury creates a shortlist of the ten best submissions. The winner will receive the opportunity to collaborate with MACK in publishing their book project. The winning book will be announced and launched at Photo London in May 2020, alongside an exhibition of the work at Somerset House. Here is our personal highlight - 'SHIFTERS' von Marta Bogdańska. 'SHIFTERS is my newest ongoing project; a continuation of m interest in espionage and its legacies. This project started with a collection of articles (published between 2005 and today) that refer to animal spies. To name a few: suspicious squirrels, spying dolphins, misidentified stork (swan), nuclear lizards, photographer pigeon. They were all seriously accused of some kind of spying and the information about it appeared in mainstream media. Taking this as a somewhat anecdotal beginning I am investigating the use of animals as soldiers, spies, police, kamikaze. I am interested in tracing back the historical chapters about animals in war & espionage (more generally used by humans in their war machine).
A former CIA expert said in an interview that any animal, no matter how insignificant it might seem, can be trained and used. The term 'agent' is an interesting one: it means both a spy, an informant but as well a subject doing action. Taking this into account I want to relate this multifaceted story to the one of the liberation of animals, the ideas more and more common nowadays that 'our smaller brothers', and even nature, are agents, have subjectivity, should have more rights. This is as well a philosophical question for me: how to think of this kind of subjectivity? What form does it have? How can it be formulated in the language of law? New technologies will help us in developing more understanding of animal capacities for sure. The post-human & new materialist theories try to incorporate feelings and experiences of non-human actors into their realm of reflection, and philosophy tries to expand into seeing the Other as possibly not only human. How will it affect human societies? SHIFTERS project currently consists of: an art book combining archival images and my own research, video work & self-designed bags for animals, series of photographs & results of a worshop (5 audio pieces for 5 archival photographs). SHIFTERS was shown in Rotacyjny Dom Kultury in Warsaw in December 2019.

Artist book, 746 pages, self-published
12 minute film, colour with sound
5 archival photographs with 5 audio pieces

Marta Bogdanskas artistic interests follow the notions of chance and absurdity, the ironic and comic. She traces anecdotes, jokes, personal stories and develops them into projects that delve into the world of gossip, fictions, politics & multiple realities. She is interested in emotional creation of & response to artwork. She works with landscapes, contexts, and the boring & mundane of our everyday, which can open up new readings & access the hidden or magical. 
IMAGE // Marta Bogdańska 'SHIFTERS' Artist book, 746 pages, self-published
IMAGE // Marta Bogdańska 'SHIFTERS' Artist book, 746 pages, self-published
IMAGE // Marta Bogdańska 'SHIFTERS' Artist book, 746 pages, self-published
IMAGE // Marta Bogdańska 'SHIFTERS' Artist book, 746 pages, self-published
IMAGE // Marta Bogdańska 'SHIFTERS' Artist book, 746 pages, self-published
IMAGE // Marta Bogdańska 'SHIFTERS' Artist book, 746 pages, self-published
IMAGE // Marta Bogdańska 'SHIFTERS' Artist book, 746 pages, self-published
IMAGE // Marta Bogdańska 'SHIFTERS' Artist book, 746 pages, self-published
 
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