What’s an interspecies dinner party?
Cena di Interspecie sought to engage, document and grow interpersonal connection and ecological conversation within the Taleggio Valley.
Different vantage points exist within the Taleggio Valley: animal, human, vegetal. These voices speak to each other and exist together in an interconnected ecosystem. We are able to see and feel these connections when we de-prioritize our human-centric position and see the environment—and all included species—as equals.
Cena di Interspecie was about seeing the connections that make up the whole. We set out to understand what community means in Val Taleggio from all perspectives (human and non-human) in an attempt to understand the grasses and pastures.
We believed that in order to consider the landscape and ecology of Val Taleggio, we needed to hear and engage all voices. Starting with the people of Sottochiesa, those who live in the Valley and have first-hand experience the circular economy of the local “cheese chain.”
Our project sought to create a community space and widen the definition of kinship through art-making, conversation, and food.
Cena di Interspecies was…
A living museum.
An experimental art project.
A temporary performance inside the Ecomuseum.
An exploration of what it means to be in community, that includes people, land and animals from here.