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Paper short abstract

Inspired by the tradition of experimental collage artists such as Wangechi Mutu and Seana Gavin, I have undertaken multi-species ethnographic work with a pony, employing a method akin to counter-intuitive texturing—a layering of unexpected materials, perspectives, and methodologies.

Paper long abstract

Inspired by the tradition of experimental collage artists such as Wangechi Mutu and Seana Gavin, I have undertaken multi-species ethnographic work with a pony, employing a method akin to counter-intuitive texturing—a layering of unexpected materials, perspectives, and methodologies. Extending the social sciences to include making with the flora and fauna with whom we coexist, this work explores how non-human entities are not merely passive backdrops to human activity but active co-participants in shaping our shared world. Through somatic collage work that attends to the embodied, temporal, and spatial sensitivities of a single pony, I investigate alternative modes of knowing and being.

This exploration suggests that engaging deeply with the extra-human lifeworlds of animals can broaden our understanding of sociality, affect, and interspecies connection. It demonstrates how such methods may allow us to reconfigure our relationships with the non-human, seeing them not simply as objects of study but as collaborators in generating new insights about survival, coexistence, and creativity.

As Samuel Beckett reminds us: “Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better.” Of course, like any experimental method, this somatic collage may not meet traditional scholarly expectations. Yet, in its imperfections lies its power: to reveal answers to unasked questions.