[Last modified: October, 14 2024 10:07 AM]
“We just wanted to enjoy the sun a little bit, you know.” There is a constant flow of people entering and leaving through the gates of Gordon Square this morning, taking advantage of the few sunrays London graced us with. However, a group stands out among the others. They left their coats on a towering pile on the grass, and some left their shoes there, too. Walking barefoot on the wet grass at the centre of the park, compared to the people who are almost diligently passing by through the pathway, they sure catch the eye. As I draw closer, I can hear my friends S and N chatting with them. They are part of the UCL drama society, and they took advantage of the sunny day to stretch and warm up their voices outside. We stick around and joke about joining them for an authentic “participant observation” exercise. Their teacher gives me a look when I raise my phone to take a picture, and we quickly make clear that we are only there to observe. As the practice goes on, I realise we are not the only ones. People around the park stop and stare as the students squat in the sun and start humming. They are so focused on their exercises that they do not seem to notice or care at all. A big pigeon crosses through the park, one of the few creatures here today not following the clear route of the footpath. It is the only animal visible in the surroundings and is enormous compared to the birds usually found in London. However, no one but us pays it any attention, all eyes on the unconventional group standing on the grass. Being interested in relations between humans and non-human animals, what struck me about this episode was the invisibility of certain species, as opposed to the attention drawn to an unusual (but still very human) behaviour. However, I am sure that in a normal situation – one that would have not required an attentive scrutiny of the surroundings – I would have also paid very little attention to the pullulating pigeons or squirrels of Gordon Square. Sharing the same outdoor spaces, we silently coexist with these creatures to the point that their presence often goes unnoticed, and we take it for granted. In further developing my project, I would like to retrace whether it is a similar process of careless familiarity that leads to hunting certain species of animals.