Supervisor: MgA. Zbyněk Baladrán

I am interested in the perception of non-human wolves, how they perceive the world through its qualities. The qualities I explore are color, shape, light, and space. My work summarizes the approaches through which I strive to draw near, to encounter, and to become a wolf. The three approaches, which introduce three modes of distance (the space between me and what I observe), correspond to a threefold artistic conception of the painting. I explore them separately in three phases:

1. FOR WOLVES – drawing near – the aim is to paint a picture for wolves so that they can see it. I observe wolves using theoretical knowledge from sensory and behavioral biology. In my paintings, I accommodate them through, for example, a limited (dichromatic) color palette, sharpness, motifs, and scent trails. I installed the paintings in wolf territories in the Beskydy Mountains and the Broumov region and photographed them using camera traps.

2. WITH WOLVES – encounters – the aim is to adapt to wolves’ (night) vision. To understand how the environment influences wolf behavior and vision, I had to go out and find them. I began tracking wolves with experts from the Duha movement and spending time in their territory, even at night. This resulted in a series of images meant to be viewed in low-light conditions.

3. LIKE WOLVES – becoming – is an attempt to shift my perspective yet again, from the position of the self to that of the wolf. To open myself up to new ways of understanding, I traveled to the Amazon and met with members of the Huni Kuin tribe, who are able to communicate with animals and mentally transport themselves into them.

MgA. Ing. Lenka Černotová, Ph.D.

Studio:

Dissertation: SEEING WITH WOLVES

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