Dates: 6/23 – 7/4
Project: Untitled Ugly Fish Project
Abstract:
The Indonesian Stargazer is a venomous, anti-social fish with a face only a mother would love. Its repulsiveness currently works in its favor, because people tend to leave it alone.
However, there may be downsides to being ugly. There’s generally more funding, public interest and conservation efforts focused on charismatic megafauna – the term given to majestic elephants, goofy pandas and other cute, but tragic hotties in the natural kingdom who can act as animal ambassadors and influencers for the movement.
For less “marketable” species (like the Stargazer), the future looks bleak – because the harsh truth is that nobody really cares if you die – when you’re ugly. Is that a foregone conclusion or can we change that?
I’m curious about what makes an animal valuable to humans? And specifically:
- How do human biases around cuteness and the usefulness of flora and fauna impact our relationships to the natural world?
- What does the local community think about Stargazers?
- Is there room for ugly, unexploitable species in our ecosystem?
- If not, how do we make the Stargazer more fuckable / useful?
