HERO

FICTIONAL CAMPAIGN 2018

In 2005, "eco-terrorism" and the animal rights movement were named the United States' number one domestic terrorism threat by the FBI. The subsequent Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act (AETA) effectively labelled as terrorists those who would "[damage or interfere] with the operations of an animal enterprise."

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This project explores the philosophy of deontology and direct action that guides organizations such as the Animal Liberation Front (ALF) to fly in the face of the ruthlessness and the brazen and corrupt self-interest of such legislation.

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By co-opting the paternalistic recruitment language of the United States military and juxtaposing it with dynamic, intersubjective images and catchy pop culture references, this fictional campaign begs us to radically reexamine the question of how we define our heroes and our terrorists, our subjects and objects, asking us to expand the circle of our own empathy, to contravene cultures of cruelty, and to become the heroes we would like to see in the world.

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