Invited by TEDxUofM, Koen Vanmechelen shared his story and talked about the Cosmopolitan Chicken Project and Planetary Community Chicken.
The domesticated chickens we know today are artificially built by humans – framed pieces of art. The artist questions this concept: “Can we draw a frame around a living animal? To make real evolutions we have to break those frames.”
He continued by stating “Communication and energy are key. A conversation fuels the mind because when two ideas clash, a magic space is created in-between where new ideas can grow. Allowing this mutation to form creates evolution.”
“Diversity as a recognition within society is not enough. Sustainability can only come from the balance between productivity and diversity.”, according to the artist. That is the reason why the Planetary Community Chicken was created. By crossbreeding highly diverse Cosmopolitan Chicken with local commercial chickens, the project reflects the journey to optimise the balance between diversity and productivity. It is in fact the representation of the global uniting with the local.
The beautiful city of Detroit was confronted with the same challenge. It collapsed under the industrial monoculture but searching for ways to revitalize itself. This sets the example for a society on how to co-exist and evolve.
“Fertility always comes from outside”. Koen Vanmechelen: “Every organism is looking for another one to survive.”
Watch the full lecture on the TEDx youtube channel;