LindsayGarcia|ArtistStatement|she’sabeast|April2016
Sleepy-eyed,youtrytorecollectthedreamyoujusthad.Fragmentsoffantasiesremain
disconnected.Birdschirpinthedistance.Youclimbedafence;thehorsesbeckoned.
Youplayedlikeachildonstage,pettinganimaginaryhorse,anddancingaimlessly.Or
wasitabestialshow?Youteasedthehorsestoturnonyouinanactofbestialsuicide.
Butyoudidn’tquitewakeupyet.Youwereonneighborhoodwatch.Someonehadbeen
breakingintothehorsefieldsatnightandthehorsesjustdidnotlookrightcome
morning.Youwerelostinspace…and…time.Youwereinhistory,atahistoric
reenactmentsite,builtinthe1930s,representingthelate1700s,wearingclothesfrom
therecentpast,butsomehowinhighresolution.Thesoundofamachinebringsyou
backtomodernity.Itisjustbeforedarkbutalsomiddayandalsosunrise.Thestreetis
vacantorfullofghosts.Thehorseissoprettybathedinthestrokesofthesun.Youfeel
sexybutyouaren’tsurewhy.Someoneisfollowingyouwithacamerainlong,slow
motions.Theyareyousometimes,butatotherpoints,theyareahorseoravoyeur.The
cameragoesinandoutoffocus.Whennotpictured,youseemjustofftheedgeofthe
frame.Yougotcaughtfencehoppingandwereputondisplayforthewholetownto
pointandlaugh.Acowmoosatyouforcomingtooclosetohercalf.Thethreatof
bestialityalwayslooms.
Figure1:LindsayGarcia,she'sabeast,2016(videostill)
Ibeganthisprojecttounderstandthefigureofthezoophile,or“zoo”forshort.As
someonewhodeeplylovesanimals,tothepointwhereIhavemadeart,engagedinactivism,
andwroteaboutanimalsformanyyears,Iwanttocomprehendzoophiliclove.Azoophileisa
personwhoidentifieszoosexualityasa“distinctivesexualidentity”1—onewhodesiresa
nonhumananimalasaprimarysexobject.Bestiality,ortheactofhavingsexwithanonhuman
animal,isnotalwayszoophilia.she’sabeastisavideoabouthuman-animalsexual
relationshipsandexploresthecomplexitieswithindiscourse,history,art,andliteraturearound
bestialityandzoophilia.
Somescholarshavecalledzoophilia/bestiality:“interspeciessexualassault.”2Others
havecalledit“offensivetosomepeople.”3Tosome,itisa“condition,”4a“taboo,”5a
“paraphilia.”6ForFoucault,nineteenth-centurypsychiatrists’classifiedthezoophileasa“minor
pervert.”7Ontheotherhand,proponentshavestated“sexacrossthespeciesbarriershouldno
longerbeseenasanoffensetoourstatusanddignityashumanbeings.”8Zoosgatheratwhat
arecalled“zoocons”andinonlineforumsdesignedforthemtoremainanonymousand
connecttoeachother.9
1
RebeccaCassidy,“ZoosexandOtherRelationshipswithAnimals,”inDonnan,HastingsandFionaMagowan,eds.
TransgressiveSex:SubversionandControlinEroticEncounters(NewYork:BerghahnBooks,2009):91.
2
PiersBeirne,“RethinkingBestiality:towardsaconceptofinterspeciessexualassault,”inPodberscek,AnthonyL.,
ElizabethS.Paul,andJamesA.Serpell,eds.CompanionAnimalsandUs:Exploringtherelationshipsbetween
peopleandpets(Cambridge:CambridgeUniversityPress,2000):313.
3
HaniMiletski,UnderstandingBestialityandZoophilia(self-published,2002):iii(emphasisadded)
4
Miletski,UnderstandingBestialityandZoophilia,1.
5
MidasDekkers,DearestPet:OnBestiality,translatedbyPaulVincent(NewYork:Verso,2000):1.
6
Cassidy,Zoosex,91.
7
Foucault,Michel.TheHistoryofSexuality,Vol.1:AnIntroduction(NewYork:VintageBooks,1978):43.
8
Singer,Peter,“HeavyPetting,”Nerve,2001,http://www.utilitarian.net/singer/by/2001----.htm(accessedApril
28,2016).
9
Cassidy,Zoosex,91-92.
Avarietyofcampsofthoughtprevailonthissubject:thosewhocondoneitwhenitis
consensual(althoughthislineistrickywhendealingwithnonhumans),thosewhodonottakea
moralisticstanceatall,thosevehementlyagainstit,believingthatitisalwaysalreadyviolent
andinhumane,alongwithotherpointsofview.Iwentintothisprojectdesiringtosympathize
withthosewhoaremisunderstoodbyheteronormativesexualculture,thezoophiles
themselves.Examplesofsexbetweendifferentspeciesofnonhumananimalsinthewildandin
captivityarewelldocumented.10Whyshouldn’thumansenjoyinterspeciessexualcontact?
Coulditbeokayifweletgoofwhatwethinkweknowaboutconsentandtrustthatthese
humansknowtheirnonhumananimals?Iknow,forexample,whenmydogWinslowwantsto
havehisbellyrubbedandwhenhedoesn’t.Thislinebetweensexualtouchandpettinghas
alwaysseemedstrangetome.Somepetcompanionslettheiranimalfriendskissthemonthe
mouth—andthisissocietallyaccepted—butonetouchofthegenitals,andjailtimeisthe
solution.BestialityisonlylegalinelevenoftheUnitedStates.InVirginia,it’safelony.Thefirst
bestialitylawinVirginiawasenactedin1610,meaningthatinthosefirstthreeyearsofnationbuilding,bestialitytookplaceinJamestownsettlementjustfivemilesdowntheroadfrom
whereColonialWilliamsburg—thesettingofmyvideo—nowstands.
10
JamesOwen,“InterspeciesSex:Evolution’sHiddenSecret?”NationalGeographicNews,March14,2007,
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2007/03/070314-hybrids.html(accessedApril28,2016).
Afterreadingonestoryfroma1970s
collectionofpulperotica,Ibecamedisturbed
bytheimageofamanwhotrickedababycow
intoperformingfellatioonhim.Icouldn’tget
thatgraphicpictureoutofmyheadandthe
Figure2:EmilyVeyDukeandCooperBattersby,Lesser
Apes,2011(videostill)
emotionsitdrewupinme(shame,anger,
disgust,etc.),anditcompletelyshiftedhowI
thinkaboutzoophilia/bestiality.Ifinallygraspedwhythishasnotbeenafrequentsubjectof
academicorartisticinquiryalthoughsomebooks,articles,andartworksdoexist.Itis
challengingsubjectmatter.Oneartwork,LesserApes,avideobyEmilyVeyDukeandCooper
Battersby,followsalongazoologistandaprimatethatshetakescareofastheydiveintoa
lesbianinterspeciesrelationship.DukeandBattersby’swork,however,forthesakeofeaseof
representationisanimated.AndwhileIdonotwishtodiscountthemultitudesofvideo-based
pornography,Ialsodidnotwishtocreateaworkthatnecessarilyreferencessuchimagery,nor
didIwanttohavesexwithanyanimalsforaworkofartisticresearch.
Thisworkcameaboutthroughavarietyofresearchmethods.Firstly,Ireadmultiple
academicsources(primaryandsecondary,especiallypsychologicalstudies)onbestialityand
zoophilia.Insteadofreadingthetextsasiftocraftanargument(asonewoulddoifwritinga
paper),Ireadthetextsasameanstodevelopanaestheticexperiencethattouchesuponsome
ideasarticulatedbyprevalentsourcesandalsoentersthehumanpsycheinadifferentmanner
thanatextdoes.Next,Icreatedadraft,adressrehearsalsotospeak,throughlive
performance—aformofresearch-by-doing.Fromhere,Idevisedascriptandhireda
videographertoshootthepiece,HenryShoKellum(averytalentedjunioratW&M).Even
thoughIdirectedeachshot,theaestheticcreatedbyKellumandhismirrorlessdigitalcamera,
thisfantasyworld,dictatedthefinalformofthepiece.Theclipsheshotbecameanarchiveof
sortsforwhichtodrawfromandcraftafinalvideoexperience.Thus,thevideowasthe
productofresearch,practice,andcloselooking.
Mydressrehearsalforthisvideocamein
theformofaperformancethattookplace
inlateMarchinthebasementofMillington
Hallduringtheone-night-onlyexhibition
Mom,Look,Birds:anightofartnecology.
Figure3:LindsayGarcia,BeastForum,2016(performance
documentationstill)
Thesexualobjectsofthisperformancewere
deadbirds,specificallythoseinthe
College’sornithologylabcollection.Ienteredthespace,wearingarobeandaredwig,andsat
onablowupbedsurroundedbystackofbooksaboutbirdsalongwiththebodiesofblack,
brown,andwhitedeadbirdswithtonsofblackandwhiteprintoutsofAudubonbirdstapedto
thewallbehindme.Theroomwasdark,litonlybyabedroom-stylelamp.Thespacewasbotha
dreamscapeandthesiteofobsession.Thequestionofmypathology,perversion,abnormality,
andparaphiliachallengedtheaudience.Ipickedupmylaptopandtypedandspoke“DearBeast
Forum:Ican’tstopthinkingabouthavingsexwithdeadbirds,”repetitivelyandinfragments.I
strokedthedeadbirdsaroundmeandplacedthemallovermylegs.Atapointinthe
performance,IturnedonthesongaboutbirdsthatNellyFurtadosings,tookofftherobeto
revealablackleotard,andbegandancingasifIembodiedabirdaroundthestagearea.
Empoweredbydancing,Islunkoffthestageandbeganpullingdownsomeofthebirdprint
outsfromthewall,ranuptotheviewingarea,stated“Yougetabird”(alaOprah’s“yougeta
car”line),andhandedoutphotocopiestoaudiencemembersinconstantrepetition.Ireturned
tothestage,frolickedasabirdonceagain,kneltdown,heldtwobrightly-coloredparrots,one
atatime,andsanglyricsfromLoveMyselfbyJustinBieber.“Mymamadon’tlikeyouandshe
likeseveryone.AndIdon’tliketoadmitthatIwaswrong.”Iexitedthestage.Workinginlive
performanceallowedmetotryouttheformandsubjectmatterofshe’sabeast,asafocus
groupofsorts.Although,inthevideo,mysexualaimshiftedfrombirdstofarmanimals,the
audiobecamenativesound,andthe
referencetoonlinecommunitiesfell
away,therewasstillacommonaffect
createdbybothworks:luxuriousness
andyetdisgust;half-awakesleepiness;
playfulandyetserious;andthe
constantthreatofobscenity.
Figure4:LindsayGarcia,she'sabeast,2016(videostill)
Thevideobecameadreamsequence,wherebestialitywasalwaysunderlyingthe
surface.Human-animalsexualityextendsfarbeyondperformingactualsexactswithother
animals.Otherthanthepetexampleabove,thereareothers,suchasayounggirl’soft
experienceofhavinganorgasmwhileridingahorse,11orherobsessionwiththemajestyof
11
Iknowthisisathing,butforsomereasonIcannotfindanyacademicsourcestosupportit,andagooglesearch
onlyrevealsvastamountsofpornography.
horses.12SoIdecidedtoplaywithinafantasyworld.
AlthoughIshototherfootagethatincludedtalking
tothecamerainmoreofarealityTV/documentary
style,Ioptedforfootagewhichexacerbateda
disconnectbetweentimeandspace,humanand
Figure5:LindsayGarcia,she'sabeast,2016
(videostill)
nonhuman,cameraandcharacter.Ultimately,I
createdavideothathelpedmetacklesomeofthechallengesIencounteredinresearchingthe
figureofthezoophile.WhileIstilldonotaimtoprejudiceagainstthezoophile,Ihaveconcern
fortheanimalswhomaynotbeabletothwarthumansexualadvances.Ontheothersideof
things,therearealsoexamplesofhumanswhoarerapedbyotheranimals.13Clearlymore
researchneedstotakeplaceinfieldsotherthanperformanceandvideoartwhichdetermines
whethertheserelationshipscanbeokayornot.Moreover,oneofthegreatest,most
humanisticofthesereasonsissuchthatthereisascientifictheorythatthepresent-dayhuman
speciescametobethroughpastactsofinterspeciessexbetweenhumansandchimpanzees.14
Thewholereasonforhumanitymayactuallyberomantic,zoophilicrelationshipsacrossspecies
linessevenmillionyearsago…
12
Ihadtroublefindingacademicsourcesforthisaswell,buttherearecountlessblogpostsbyself-proclaimed
“horseobessessed”women,suchasthisone:http://theodysseyonline.com/marist/when-youre-actually-crazyhorse-girl/298400.
13
ChristineWilcox,“ReverseBestiality:WhenAnimalsCommitSexualAssault,”ScienceBlogs:Observationsofa
Nerd,http://scienceblogs.com/observations/2011/01/28/reverse-bestiality-when-animal/(accessedApril28,
2016)
14
NicolasWade,“TwoSplitsBetweenHumanandChimpLinesSuggested,”TheNewYorkTimes,May18,2006,
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/18/science/18evolve.html?ex=1149307200&en=c50c55c811de69b6&ei=5070
&_r=0(accessedApril28,2016).