Jo-Anne McArthur, award-winning photojournalist, author and the founder of We Animals Media is interviewed on her new book HIDDEN: Animals in the Anthropocene, an unflinching book of photography documenting our relationship with non-human animals in the 21st century.
Caged Mink
The animals we use most in our daily lives are hidden. They’re
hidden away in factory farms, fur farms, and in labs that use them
in research and testing. They are also hidden euphemistically; we
don’t say we’re eating a calf, for example. We say we’re eating
veal. And in animal research, an animal is “sac’ed” when they are
finished being used. Being killed is called being “sacrificed.”
These words sound much more noble. They create space between “human”
and “animal,” “us” and “them,” “subject” and “object.”
We are always hiding animals from ourselves. We build walls and
euphemisms to cover any discomfort we might have. If we were to face
the animals we keep in crates and cages, and spend some time
examining their lives there, and why they are there, we may not be
able to enjoy ham or foie gras...
Please read the ENTIRE INTERVIEW AND MORE PHOTOS HERE (PDF)
Purchase the book here: HIDDEN: Animals in the Anthropocene