The Human Animal sculpture

“The Human Animal” is a sculpture installation by Philadelphia based artist Kelly Colligan who created it for her senior thesis at Moore College of Art and Design. The piece explores the psychology of the relationships formed between humans and animals and to open up discussions about how we react to our pets and if use them as people substitutes or objects. At first I found the installation quite creepy as the “hand pets” look so lifelike and yet they interact with the suburban setting of the armchair and the square of carpet just as you would imagine a bundle of puppies would do, which also makes them kind of cute. It makes me torn between wishing they existed (think of the “high fives”! ) and a bit scared at wondering whether they would try to strangle their owner in the night. The whole thing makes me feel amused but also unsettled and think that combination makes for a great piece of art.