London, The Natural History Museum

Jan Fabre was artist in residence in The Natural History Museum of London for three years. The final result is a film in which he dresses the various museum specialists as the animals of their research. The artist discuss the cross fertilisation, the consilience, between art and science with them.

 

'Today's actions with the butterfly specialist

Dick Vane-Wright had a liberating and poetic
power.
The power of childlike transparency.
These actions were a drastic weapon
against the conventions of what is
currently considered to be Performance art.'

(Jan Fabre, London, 9 October 1999)

'The Quest for consilience continues.
And the Natural History Museum is the perfect
spritual terrain on which to pursue this research
into the possible cross-fertilisation
between science and art.'

(Jan Fabre, London, 11 october 1999)

'What do an exciting and interesting scientist

and an exciting and interesting artist have in
common?
They both have an unremitting urge to hazard
a leap into the uknown time and time again
(ART IS PERFORMANCE).'

(Jan Fabre, London, 12 October 1999)