Situation 1: Spirit Animals, examines human-animal entanglements through myth, science, and embodiment. As a debut for Studio Planet Daniel, it will explore the transience of our anthropocentric reality. In a pursue to revisit post-humanism, this exhibition and series of events will imaginatively investigate our future as humans. Our obsession with technology brought about our new cyborg-subjectivities. But as we become further alienated, culturally and politically, one could ask if in the future, will we merge with computers or rather with animals? Spirit Animals is a chance to still consider our animal selves.

In José Duarte Pacheco’s Cootidian, anthropomorphic depictions of coots, “re-animate” intrinsically human behaviours. Through ‘coot vignettes’, Jose comedically recollects anecdotal tales of flying, living, dating, eating, birthing, dancing and more. The language barrier between birds and humans becomes blurry. Are we projecting human behaviour onto birds or are they? Together with the artist, visitors are also encouraged to assemble their own dream house, using bird houses.

From zoonotic diseases to mythological archetypes, we examine how animals shape human identity, technology, and even language. The program features José Duarte Pacheco’s work alongside instinctual movement workshops by Fernando Troya, and an open Q&A panel with reasercher Warren Walker Dansou, specialised in infectious disease research. Together, these events soften the boundaries between species, questioning the hierarchies that define "human" against “animal”, but also propose a collaborative environment that could prove productive for visiting post-anthropocentric imaginaries.

This first edition coincides with the opening of the Broedplaats HW10. Spirit animals, in a similar fashion, will embrace a celebratory attitude and for 4 weekends will carry out social events, animal-themed speed-dating night, interviews and live discussions with the artist; all pivoting on the human-animal relationship and dichotomy.