THOMAS HAWRANKE
Play as Animals
Two-channel found footage installation, 2019
What stories do I encounter when I explore the trailer park sniffing on four legs? What do I do as a farm animal when I'm bored? What could we do in the city as a pack? Is it really a game to stick my fin out of the water? And can I play with mice even though I have paws? Play as Animals is a 2-channel found footage collage from YouTube clips, video sequences and sound fragments from the computer game Grand Theft Auto V. From different perspectives, the work looks at the animals that breathe life and wildness into the game landscape, describe human stereotypes and are the focus of designed discrimination. As non-human animals, the players practice the play of the animals. If you are an animal, the game world is ultimately yours. Let's play!
Exhibition view, Temporary Gallery Cologne, Images © Pascal Marcel Dreier / Thomas Hawranke