Manifesta 16 takes place in empty churches in four cities of the Ruhr Vallery. The travelling Biennale investigates how we can reimagine empty church buildings as spaces for civic life, physical well-being and community encounter.
Among the more than 100 artists is Eva Koťátková with the installation 'When Animals Fall from the Sky' at the Christ-König Church in Bochum.
When birds fall from the sky in large numbers, it signals a 'canary in the coal mine' warning. But the warning doesn’t indicate how much time is left until a catastrophic event. We do not flee immediately; instead, we shift our habits and resume our activities.
The non-humans, however, sense the danger and communicate it in different ways. 'When Animals Fall from the Sky' considers the living conditions and status of urban animals, particularly those neither fully free nor captive. The church floor is filled with different animal bodies, transforming the space into a temporary dormitory, emergency ward or rescue station. Some of its non-human clients are in a state of rest: some are asleep, some lie injured on hospital blankets, while others are completely still, saving their energy for later. Under normal circumstances, none of these animals could enter an institution where human rules of hygiene, safety or liability apply.
Yet, here, they offer their stories. You can sit or lie down next to them. You can hug them or comfort them. Or you can join a group of children who visit them regularly. These children take care of them and learn from them. They ask difficult questions, inviting us to focus on different things and to dream of a future in which various species coexist more equally.
