artists share messages of hope: as the population of italy, and many other parts of the world, continue to endure lockdown conditions as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, designboom — whose headquarters is in milan — has reached out to artists to share messages of hope with our readers worldwide. 

 

following dedications by olafur eliasson, david shrigley, and julian charrière, doug aitken has dedicated an excerpt from the artwork ‘migration’ — his 2008 film depicting animals removed from their natural habitats and placed in environments built for humans. ‘the world without us… perhaps this dramatic moment in time will allow us to take pause and recognize how we are part of the natural systems,’ aitken shares. ‘the ecosystem, the earth, ocean and sky. and let’s try and use this time to reconnect.’

 

https://www.instagram.com/p/B–pku1HRzo/

excerpt from the artwork ‘migration’ by doug aitken / @dougaitkenworkshop

 

 

in the full piece, titled ‘migration (empire)’, the artist combines footage of american landscapes with scenes of indigenous wild animals confined in roadside motel rooms. removed from their habitats but drawing on their natural instincts, the undomesticated animals interact alone or in pairs with the room and its contents. one of the vignettes, chosen as aitken’s message of hope, shows a single horse standing in a motel room watching a herd of wild horses running freely across a landscape on a television screen — raising questions about the relationship between humans, animals, and nature.

doug aitken
still from ‘migration’ by doug aitken

doug aitken
still from ‘migration’ by doug aitken