ARTIST STATEMENT
A cat wakes its owner during a fire. A dog pulls people to safety from a train. A whale “thanks” its rescuers. These stories, and thousands like them, show that non-human animals have empathy for humans. What if we imagine that our current imbalance with nature could be solved by re-discovering our long-lost kinship and commonality with other creatures? What if acknowledging the one language of emotion we share is a key to reducing our current exploitation of the natural world?
Naturestage, a non-profit organization founded in 2006, uses the arts in myriad forms to explore our relationship and obligation towards other species – from honeybees to elephants. Naturestage has presented lectures, multi-media theater events, and online features to highlight the human-animal connection. Bringing it closer to home, our One Language Project is creating an ever-expanding series of exhibits featuring stories and animal portraits that give other species the spotlight, through the power of the animal gaze and their owners’ tributes.
Our treatment of other species reflects our treatment of our own. The motivation to be global stewards can only become a reality through a core connection – the language of the heart.
- Miranda Loud, Photographer, Musician, Videographer, Storyteller
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Speaking at the screening of short elephant-related films at the Ellsworth Movie Theater, Ellsworth, Maine 2012
Since 2006, Miranda Loud has been expanding her palette as a musician and producer of multi-media performances to include filmmaking and photography. Her focus is telling stories of compassion and connection between humans and other species. She uses various art forms to create either live performances or installations that challenge viewers to see other species as rich in intelligence, emotion and self-awareness. Always scientifically informed, she uses her intuition and her fervent belief that a sense of mutuality with other species is what can ultimately help our complex human society shift towards one of balance and sustainability.