House of Beasts", Alastair Mackie & Kate MccGwire"

About

A new exhibition of contemporary art produced by Meadow Arts and hosted by the National Trust, House of Beasts will take place from 3rd July 2011 in the mansion, stables and parkland of Attingham Park, a flagship National Trust property in the West Midlands. The group show will include new commissions and existing works that highlight the current fascination with animals in contemporary art and explore the ongoing creative practice of using animals as metaphors and references. Both commissioned and borrowed works will reflect and explore Attingham rich collections and history as well as underline the importance of the estate's animal population past and present. House of Beasts will investigate our relationships with those animals, whether domesticated, wild or managed, who live alongside us. These can range from highly emotional ties, as in the case of pets or horses, to purely economical; animals can elicit admiration and curiosity, as in the case of birds and butterflies, or even pure antagonism, as with pests. It will also explore the philosophical shift in the way we approach the relationship between people and animals, sometimes rejecting human exceptionalism and inverting ideas of anthropomorphism.