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The Institute of Critical Zoologists presents A Guide to the Common Flora and Fauna of the World
4th January 2010
Left : Australian Customs Service
Right : Artist's Book, A Guide To The Common Flora and Fauna of the World
“We have just successfully smuggled a very endangered gecko through the mail. Or almost.”
A Guide to the Common Flora and Fauna of the World is inspired by a real-life smuggling case where 15 endangered geckos were concealed in hollowed-out books and transported out of Australia, only to be intercepted by the country's customs. Using the mail route for smuggling has been one of the most effective and preferred methods to evade international customs, and wildlife activists have often criticised the loopholes in enforcement in this area.
For the M1 Singapore Fringe Festival 2010, The Institute of Critical Zoologists (ICZ) sent similar books containing replicas of the gecko and apparatus giving the impression of hidden life within these packages, from various countries back to Singapore. Part of this exhibition showcases the returned contents and documentation of any procedures and correspondence pertaining to the “trafficking”. Through this, the Institute explores the human/animal relationship through wildlife trafficking, by actively engaging the laws prohibiting that in various countries.
Dr Yong's Archive
Between 1995 and 2006, Prof Yong worked at the ICZ as a curator of reptiles. His primary research area was in genomics and morphology genetics of reptiles. One of his greatest successes was the creation of ‘albino tortoises’. He often cited a 1981 National Geographic article as inspiration for his research. The article was about the first albino python which was successfully bred in Bangkok. The article also inspired many other people to collect and breed reptiles, thus giving birth to a new industry of reptile collection through out the world.
Prof Yong also became a legend in the wildlife smuggling circuit. During a routine archival digitization exercise, the ICZ discovered his archive of books, photographs, documents and research on wildlife smuggling. He had devised hundreds of ways to smuggle reptiles. To the most high-profile smugglers of the world, he was called the bookman, for his ingenious use of tomes to hide animals.
Our story of Dr. Yong's archive begins with the discovery of the world's largest encyclopedia, "A Guide To The Common Flora And Fauna Of The World" to be exhibited for the first time. Also in the exhibition are rare documentations and photographs of his experimentation in wildlife smuggling and his work on the genetic morphology of reptiles. Coinciding with the 14th anniversary of the ICZ, A Guide To The Common Flora And Fauna Of The World is an exhibition in the Jendela Gallery, Esplanade (Singapore) that explores a controversial chapter of the human/animal relationship.
A Guide to the Common Flora and Fauna of the World is presented and commissioned by M1 Singapore Fringe Festival Singapore 2010 & The Institute of Critical Zoologists, Japan.
Special thanks to Dr. Agata Marzec (Estonia), Tristan C (Finland), Dr. Jessica S.F (New York), Dr. Ferran Izquierdo (Barcelona), Ang S.N (London), Dr. Eiffel Chong T.Chin (Malaysia), Z.Y Wong (Beijing), Miriam Seto (Hong Kong), Dr. Agung Nugroho W (Yogyakarta), Dr. Nicholas W (Brisbane) & Zuzana Golierova (Bratislava) for their kind assistance and time for making this exhibition possible.
M1 Fringe Festival 2010, Art & The Law
7th - 24th January 2010
11am - 8.30pm (Mon - Fri)
10am - 8.30pm (Sat & Sun)
Esplanade - Jendela (Visual Arts Space) Singapore
Silent opening, Thursday, 7th Janaury, 7.30pm - 8.30pm.
Representatives from the institute will be present in the gallery during the silent opening.
Birds
121 cm x 84 cm
Archival Piezographic Print
Courtesy of The Institute of Critical Zoologists. (Dr. Yong's Archive)
52 cockatoo and macaw eggs
121 cm x 84 cm
Archival Piezographic Print
Courtesy of The Institute of Critical Zoologists. (Dr. Yong's Archive)
New discovery of New Island Species, Biodiversity, Sand dunes and a Black Geyser on Pulau Pejantan
17th October 2009
Wallace's Greater Black Cormorant Diving, 2009
Journey to Pulau Pejantan onboard Sea-Farer II, 11th January
Glow Worms, 2009
Day 120, Madura Forest, Weeping Tree.
Minute Owl, 2009
Day 61, Camera Trap No.168, Madura Forest
Pulau Pejantan is a remote island of Indonesia. Nick-named Sand Forest Island, Pulau Pejantan is a unique island with extremely unique geographical features and biodiversity. Virtually undiscovered till June 2005, the island boosts a treasure trove of unique species that is found no where else in the world such as the bizarre sand worms which moves about like packs of snakes around the island's dune to the Lantern Fish which greets you in the sea before you reach the island.
Isolated in the Pacific Ocean, about 70% of the estimated 600 species found on the island exist nowhere else on the globe. The island is home to such evolutionary oddities as the Ghost Hare, a black and white hound like animal, pale-white reptiles and birds which has adapted to the sand dunes and forest habitat, spiny burrowing ant-eaters, and the rock pheasant, a bird that lives in the sand dunes.
Long Tail Paradise Crow, 2009
Day 9, Setting up of Mist Net for specimen collection
Interview
Dr. Darrel Covman on The Institute of Critical Zoologist's Discovery of New Island Species, Biodiversity, Sand dunes and a Black Geyser on Pulau Pejantan. (read more)
...excerpt from the interview,
How has the speciation process on Pulau Pejantan differed from comparable regions?
Images from the recent expedition from January to April, 2009 are also available on our website.
From now till the 21st of October 2009, selected/limited images from the expedition will be on shown in Gallery 2902, Singapore.
More information : http://www.2902gallery.com
Pacific Lantern Fish surfacing off the coast of Pulau Pejantan, 2009
The Animal traps collection from the Institute of Critical Zoologist’s Museum is also online now (here)
The Institute of Critical Zoologists at the Substation
29th April 2009
if a tree falls in the forest
featuring resident artist, Zhao Renhui
Soon Bo's Cold Room and Shelves, 2008
Kings, Tottori Desert Cockroaches, 2008
Tottori Desert artist-led expedition, 2008
ICZ musuem collection, Taiwan fish memorabilia and Philippines Chicken Trap
If a tree falls in the forest by The Institute of Critical Zoologists questions our views and relationships with animals. They are prey, pets, trinkets, trophies and pests. This exhibition makes subversive changes in the way we observe animals and illustrates how these changes can alter perceptions and interpretations and ultimately question the human to animal relationship.
if a tree falls in the forest, an exhibition curated by the Institute, questions our conceptions and relationships with animals. As Mr Tomo Kawasaki, Director of The Institute of Critical Zoologists, has explained: “the ICZ promotes discussion about the principles and practices of animal spectatorship, animal advocacy, animal killing and animal-related policies across the fields of entertainment, social science, commerce, culture and ecology. We hope that viewers will look upon animals in a different light after seeing this exhibition.”
if a tree falls in the forest is made up of three parts: Before the flood is a live performance* that features hundreds of mousetraps springloaded with ping pong balls. Each ping pong ball represents one of the thousands of mouse species in the world. The performance is accompanied by a showcase of the Institute’s collection of animal traps from around the world. Also on show are animal memorabilia from around the globe in the ICZ museum collection.
Kings is a collection of rare white Tottori cockroaches, from the Tottori sand dunes of Japan; these creatures exemplify how animals are assigned a certain “status” based on their aesthetic appeal. The specimens are presented with projects by previous artists-in-residence who have been inspired by these curious creatures. They include Zhao Renhui’s artist-led expedition into the Tottori Desert and Sokkuan Tye’s Japanese print.
Soon Bo’s Cold Room and Shelves is a series of photographs of animals from the collection of taxidermist and biologist, the late Soon Bo. His love for animals and his skill as a taxidermist resulted in a bizarre collection of specimens, accumulated over many years. Zhao Renhui, member and a resident artist of the ICZ, spent a short time as Soon Bo’s student in taxidermy; for Zhao, “This collection blurs the lines between the natural and the artificial, as the animals stare back at you with questions in their glassy eyes, and an eerie hint of life in their bodies.”
The Institute of Critical Zoologists aims to develop a critical approach to the zoological gaze, or how humans view animals other than ourselves. Urban societies live in relative isolation from animals, and yet the demands that we put upon animals has increased tremendously over the last century. Animals are agriculture, prey, pets, trinkets, trophies and pests. And while gazing upon them is desirable and pleasurable, our visual apprehensions are not wholly natural; rather, these perceptions produce meanings and values that are culturally constructed. Moreover, in viewing the animal, humans cannot but refract the social and political contexts and values in which such observations take place.
2nd to 20th May
11am to 8pm daily, closed on public holidays
The Substation Gallery
45 Armenian Street
Singapore 179936
Admission is free
Opening reception: 2nd May, Saturday, 4pm, The Substation Gallery
Guest-of-Honour: Ms Fanny Lai, Group CEO, Wildlife Reserves Singapore (Jurong Bird Park, Night Safari and Singapore Zoo)
Also present, Dr. Tomo Kawasaki, Director, Institute of Critical Zoologists
*Special one-time sound performance by Hayashida Ken with the ignition of more then 300 spring loaded mousetraps.
There will be a limited edition catalog for sale at the exhibition.
Presented by : The Substation &The Institute of Critical Zoologists
Supported by : LEE FOUNDATION & The Singapore National Arts Council
The Institute of Critical Zoologists in Singapore
17th April 2009
The Institute of Critical Zoologists is going to Singapore. This May, The Institute of Critical Zoologists will be having an exhibition featuring works from past and current artists who have worked with our archives.
Email : info@criticalzoologists.org with the subject line as : 'Join' to subscribe to our mailing list.
The Blind, 2009
The Institute of Critical Zoologists at Pickford's Museum
23rd February 2009
The Institute of Critical Zoologists and Format International Photography Festival presents :
The Ark Project
Document from the Trap Vitrine, 2009
Acusis Live Webcam Streaming Feeds, 2009
Unknown Flowerpecker with pressure points marked, possible Meiji period
Vitrine of Animal Traps
From the Animal Traps Collection, 2009
With the support of Singapore National Arts Council, Derby City Council, University of Derby, Arts Council of England, QUAD and Pickford's Museum, The Institute of Critical Zoologists / Zhao Renhui is proud to take part in this year's Format festival, United Kingdom's leading contemporary photography and media festival. The festival aims to celebrate the wealth of contemporary practice in international photography. The Institute will be showing its museum collection for the exhibition. The objects on show includes original Acusis woodblock prints, animal traps & specimens from the ICZ collection and documents from the ICZ's archive.
Duration : 1st March 2009 - 5th April 2009
Pickford's Museum, Top Floor Gallery
Derby, United Kingdom
"...For this exhibition, our artist in residence, Singaporean Artist Zhao Renhui, has painstakingly selected some representative documents from our massive archives and artefacts from our museum collection.
The ICZ museum collection comprises an extensive inventory of animal memorabilia and souvenirs that can be bought off the internet, tourist trinket shops and gift shops around the world. For Format, we have selected the an important piece from our collection by renowned Japanese zoologist Hayashida Oishi.
The ICZ also has a substantial collection of animal traps. We have chosen to show a snake trap, a gibbon trap and the curious earthworm trap found in a remote village in Nepal.
Finally, one of our flagship projects, Acusis, is being presented in Photocinema. Acusis is a method of extending the lifespan of endangered animals by performing acupuncture on them to induce a state of torpor and decreased physiological activity. Animals under Acusis are revived every five years to reproduce with another revived animal. The television screens show live video feed from web cams installed in our laboratory of the Tomaya Flowerpecker and the Rainbow Trout. The Institute of Critical Zoologists celebrates the reintroduction of more than 200 rare birds, bred at the Institute's laboratories, to the wild by the Acusis Program. The Institute of Critical Zoologists is also taking this chance to celebrate the reintroduction of more than 200 rare Sarina's Flowerpecker, bred at the Institute's laboratories, to the wild by the Acusis Program...."
Hayshida Toko
Chairman, Institute of Critical Zoologists
www.formatfestival.com/exposure/pickfords-house/renhui-zhao
www.derbyquad.co.uk
Institute of Critical Zoologists / We decided to go to the zoo but it was raining
15th October 2008
The Blind, 2008
The Institute of Critical Zoologists will be holding a public installation entitled "We decided to go to the zoo but it was raining" at the Cify of Levallois, France.
With the kind support of Epson France and the Cultural Board of Levallois, The Institute of Critical Zoologists will be holding a public exhibition at l’Escale, The Cultural Center of the City of Levallois, France. The exhibition was awarded a special mention in the augural Photo-Levallois Festival. The Institute will be showing its annual report and a summary of her projects in this special exhibition. It will consist of 114 documents from the Institute's archive.
The exhibition will be held from 17th November 2008 to 13th December 2008.
Institute of Critical Zoologists / Singapore / Renhui Zhao / Yong Ding Li
14th October 2008
Dr. Cheng Bu, Presentation at Dublin Zoo and Museum, 1999
The Institute of Critical Zoologists will be holding a public presentation at the Singapore National Museum on the 14th October 2008.
The Institute of Critical Zoologists public presentation at the Singapore National Museum on the 14th October 2008.
As part of The Institute's engagement with the public, The Institute will be giving an evening presentation of the Institute's recent iniatives, research and projects. Join Artist Renhui Zhao/Yong Ding Li for an evening presentation where he will explore the representations of the animal within the projects of The Institute of Critical Zoologists at the National Museum of Singapore.
14th October 2008
National Museum of Singapore, Seminar Room
2100-2200 hrs
Please kindly be seated by 2045 hrs.
Tomaya's Flowerpecker breeding tops century
30th May 2008
Tomaya's Flowerpecker, Revival Stage of Acusis, 2008
More than 200 rare birds bred through Acusis at the ICZ's laboratories for reintroduction to wild.
Celebrations are taking place at ICZ's museum this week with news that more than 200 rare flowerpeckers have been bred this year for reintroduction into the wild.
In fact, a staggering 226 chicks have been successfully hatched and raised to chicks through Acusis at the ICZ, far more than was hoped and giving a massive boost to the re-introduction project at the Yaeyama Islands.
The project is managed jointly by the Institute of Critical Zoologists, the Veterinary Acupuncture Center in Beijing, the Japan Laboratory of Endangered Species and the Biostatsis Institute in Fukuoka who run the laboratories at the ICZ, who work with hunters, trappers and collectors in the area to allow these beautiful and rare birds to remain in the area.
At the Yaeyama Islands, each batch of chicks is first given a health check by ICZ vet, Nicholas Woo, and then released to the wild. The project began with 1 bird released in 1997, this increased to about 85 in 2002, 105 in 2005, and 150 in 2006. This year’s number has exceeded all expectations.
ICZ's Head of Ornithology, Dr. Yong, who has been in charge of inducing Acusis on the adults said: “It’s just great to have surpassed 200. When we set up the project eleven years ago, 20 birds was the target we’d set ourselves and this is just amazing."
“Obviously, the more birds we can release the better the chance that they will come back and a sustainable population can be created in the Yaeyama Islands."
The Tomaya's Flowerpecker is just one of the few success stories from the Acusis Laboratories at the ICZ. Previous success stories include the successful re-introduction of the Yellow Chested Imperial Finch.
Notes to editors
* The Tomaya's Flowerpecker is one of the most threatened breeding bird species in the world. It started to disappear from Japan more than a century ago, because of the introduction of mechanized and intensive trapping methods. Today this relative of the more familiar Sunda flowerpecker only breeds in the Acusis Laboratories where conservationists have been working intensively with local trappers and collectors to ensure the bird’s continued survival.
* After release the birds will migrate to the Artic and on average 1% will return.
* Breeding is carried out at ICZ's Acusis Laboratories where healthy breeding adults under go artificial hibernation. The adults are revived every 2 years to breed. (The project's mission is to help save endangered animals from extinction. It does this by extending the lifespan of the thousands of animals that are expected to disappear within the next few years.) Breeding takes a total of 39 days, after which the adults are put through Acusis again. The chicks are then fed around the clock on the hour for the first 4-5 days. After 10-14 days they are taken to the Yaeyama Islands for release, once they are health checked and provided they are the correct weight.
The Death Dance, the ICZ acquires lost specimen
1st May 2008
The Death Dance by Hayashida Oishi, ICZMZ/113, The ICZ collection
Pair of scorpions in amber, circa 1950s, Giant Blue Scorpions in Amber, 18cm x 5cm, On display in Special Exhibits room
The ICZ is delighted to announce the acquisition of one of Hayshidai's Oishi most treasured and copied, widely known as 'The Death Dance'. This small devotional work was made for the late Dr.Ailaimaishua, a founder of critical zoology in Japan. The scorpions was presumed lost until it was sold at auction in London in July 1949. An exchange in collections with a private dealer allowed the ICZ to purchase it in June 2006. This specimen joins a distinguished collection of twenty other specimen made by the scientist in the Museum's collection, each of which represents a different aspect of Hayashida's art and research.
'The Death Dance' is one of the first specimens to apply an imposing Surrealistic composition to an intimately scaled specimen of the Asian Forest Scorpion. The Surrealistic style was established by Hayashida Oishi in his realistic decorations of the Prehistoric Room, Japan and in a few speciemens such as 'The Lost Hands' made just before 1930. In these works he realised a creative synthesis of the scorpions by encasing them in re-worked amber in a permanent death dance.
The purchase of this specimen was made possible by recent legacies to the ICZ and a generous donation by Zhong Yao Ren.
Notes to editors: Some other specimens by Hayshida Oishi in the ICZ collection:
'The Lost Hands', circa. 1930;
'Smallest Bee', circa. 1930;
'The Prayer during his Temptation', about 1960;
The Blind is out of stock
28th April 2008
The Institute of Critical Zoologists would like to thank you for your interest and support regarding The Blind. We regret to inform
you that The Blind is currently out of stock.
Our materials department have informed us that they will have The Blind back in stock again next Spring.
We apologize for any inconvenience caused.
Copyright 2010, Institute of Critical Zoologists