Anne Hofstra makes theater for chickens. With emphasis for, so not with, as Wim T. Schippers did with dogs in his Going to the Dogs, the legendary performance from 1986. The chickens are public. In her performance, Chicken, Hofstra makes music and dances, attuned to what chickens might appreciate. The tantalizing question Chickento be seen next week at the Amsterdam Fringe Festival, is: what do chickens like?
The impetus to Chicken was a social issue that Hofstra thought about: why do people on earth take center stage and not nature? Shouldn’t we move from anthropocentric to ecocentric thinking? Hofstra worked as a concept developer at Mediametic, an institution focused on new developments in art and culture, particularly in biotechnology and bioart. But she wanted to get to work herself with the question of whether artists can produce knowledge.
The first step was to quit her job. “That’s why I had to give up my house. I turned my whole life upside down to make this theater performance for chickens. I thought: if I manage to make theater for chickens and thus let chickens be amazed by art, then that would really be ecocentric.”
She went to investigate. “For six weeks I lived among the chickens, at the Doornburgh country estate, in Maarssen. I was there from early to late, but slept elsewhere, because these chickens sleep in trees. I sang songs for them, played music, danced for them, showed them colors and smelled scents. I also did regular research: in conversations with scientists and chicken farmers.”
What was it like living among chickens?
“It was quite sad as a human being alone for so long among all the chickens. I have never felt so clearly human.”
Why did you choose chickens?
“The first reason is that I thought chickens were very stupid. It’s a kind of non-bird, but a bird nonetheless. I thought: if making theater works for chickens, then it can be done with all animals. In addition, chickens are close to people. There are an awful lot of chickens on the planet, more than people, so everyone can relate to a chicken. In addition, I had to be able and willing to be with those animals for six weeks. Chickens are funny enough for that.”
What’s funny about chickens?
“It’s funny that they have so little expression. It’s super hard to humanize them. In dogs or cats, and in most mammals, you sometimes have the feeling of seeing a smile. Not with chickens. That’s why you rarely see them in cartoons.”
What did you learn about chickens?
“I found out quite quickly that chickens are much smarter than we think. Research by biologists shows that chickens have an understanding of numbers, so they can calculate to some extent, and of logic, at the level of a seven-year-old human. Chickens have a time perception, knowing about past, present and future. They also see more colors than we do and have a wider view, up to approximately 300 degrees. And they can detect magnetic fields, which helps them to orient themselves.
“And it’s not like they’re just clucking. Meaning can be discerned in their communication. For example, they have special sounds for certain predators. They have a kind of happy and they have a kind of fear.”
So chickens have emotions?
“Certainly. According to a researcher, chickens can become depressed. And that actually looks the same as with humans: they move less and cluck less. And if you give them an antidepressant, it works.”
How did you find out if they like theatre?
“I performed certain rhythms and movements and noted how they reacted. Is there a pattern, a code? Gentle, small movements worked well.”
Did your chicken suit help?
“They used to come to me. They often stopped and watched. But that could also be because I sometimes fed them. Whether they find something beautiful or ugly or whether they don’t care is super difficult to distinguish. But there is a chance that they appreciate what I do.”
What’s your conclusion?
“My question was: can chickens wonder and do they like art? And there is reason to believe that this is the case. But the naive me who started this plan had to mourn the fact that you can never be sure.”
Read also: Interview with Mystha Mandersloot, featured on the Fringe with her ‘Abortion Stories’
Why are you taking the step of presenting this to the public?
“An important step was taking the chickens seriously and establishing a connection with them. That is a story that I want people to experience as well.”
Is this way of making it clear to people that ecocentric living is possible?
“That is a difficult question. The performance is not primarily for humans. On the other hand, the performance is also mainly about me. So that part failed. But it’s a step.
“I was afraid that Chicken would be a gimmick, but there are so many philosophical questions that come your way. How do you navigate things you don’t know? What is Connection? What do you know about the other, what do you not know? And what are your communication methods? I also hope that people learn something about chickens: that they are not stupid animals, but that they have their own life and inner self.”
What will the performance look like?
“The hall has two stands facing each other, one for the people and one for the chickens. I play in between, with my back to the people. There is also a coop for chickens that don’t want to come and watch.
“In the build-up we try to make an arc for the chickens: from a kind of euphoria to a valley in which things are exciting and a bit scary. But it will be fine.”
Sounds like a romantic comedy.
“Maybe. It will be difficult for humans to grasp the bow. But the goal is to give the chickens something beautiful.”
What if all the chickens don’t feel like it?
“I’m not going to force them. Just like I don’t force people to come and see. But I hope the performance is fun enough and that they want to see it.”