Through the eyes of the other

SHIVANGI PANT
Nov 7 · 11 min read
Nilgirii Langur in the Shola Grassland habitat

As a part of my final Capstone project at Srishti Institute of Art, Design and Technology, I am exploring the possibilities of performance Art in the context of Wildlife conservation. The subject for my topic is Nilgiri Langurs, a primate species found in the Hills of Western Ghats. They are found in a variety of Forest types from 300 m to 2000 m in elevation; Wet evergreen forests, tropical moist deciduous forests, riparian and montane evergreen forests (Shola habitat). Nilgiri Langurs are Vulnerable species according to the IUCN red list, threatened by habitat loss and Poaching for their skins and organs used in medicines and aphrodisiacs.

Research Process

I started my research by watching certain documentaries. One which stayed with me was ‘Save Our Sholas’ by acclaimed wildlife filmmaker Shekhar Dattatri. This documentary was an introduction into the interdependence of life in the Sholas, and a call to save the forests which faces much threat due to habitat destruction, wildlife crime and wildlife trade.

Notes from Save our sholas

I further started reading several papers and texts particularly on Nilgiri langurs which talked about the ecology, habitat and the social behavior of langurs. I went through a thorough reading of papers by Hohmann, Poirer, Sunderraj etc.

My research also started with an inquiry into the evolution of monkeys and Langurs, a little bit of Taxonomy, anatomy and ecology

Making while Thinking

As an artist, the thinking process requires me to ‘make’ while thinking. It becomes important to gain information not only by reading and writing but also by using the body as a tool for research. Therefore, I developed certain art visuals of my inquiry into the animal behavior accompanied with body adaptations of the same, mainly through facial expressions. The inspiration for the visuals came from an article titled ‘ The communication Matrix of Nilgiri Langurs by Poirier; which gives detailed sketches of the observations made by the scientist.

From left to right; Look threat, Stare threat and Look away,
From Left to Right; Grin, Yawn and Biting Air
Left: Touching and Mouthing; Right: Open mouth Threat

The above visuals are a representation of communication methods used by Nilgiri Langurs. Further below are my facial expressions based on the same actions.

Research into Foraging ecology of Nilgiri Langurs

Research

Nilgiri Langurs are folivorous species but their diet also consists of some amount of fruits, flower buds, stems and seeds.

a) Proportion of different plant Categories constitutes food species of Nilgiri Langurs in Parimbukulam Tiget Reserve guring the study duration from Dec 2011-March 2012) b) Proportaion of different parts pf food plants eaten by Nilgiiri Langur in Parambikulam Tiger Reserve during the study duration ( Dec 2011- March 2012)
Percent composition of different food plants of Nilgiri Langur belonging to different families in Parambikulam Tiger reserve during the study period (Families of different plants arranged based on ranking).

The above data analysis has been documented from — Asian Journal of Conservation Biology, December 2012. Vol. 1 №2, pp. 92–102 AJCB: FP0012 ISSN 2278–7666 ©TCRP 2012.

In the research it is reflected that because Nilgiri Langurs have a special/different diet system they have specialized dental crests and gut. It has also been found out that they are highly selective towards the kind of leaves and even the parts they consume. For examples, while feeding on mature leaves, the lamina (thin layer of tissue) is discarded and only the petioles (the stock that connects the leaf to the stem)are ingested

Making

For understanding the foraging behavior of Nilgiri Langurs, I went to a nearby park to use my body as a form of information. With the knowledge gained from the secondary research, I applied it onto some body movements and actions and vice versa.

Walking, eating, biting air and foraging actions

The information gathered through this particular exploration into the actions of Langurs, made me realize how i can use my body more efficiently in order to see the world through the eyes of a Langur. Currently the set up is in a man made environment; the further question is what happens when you change the environment into a more wild and natural one?

Eating leaves

Through the eyes of the other- Exploration

living in the trees

Date- 9/11/2019

As a part of the creative process, Today, i tried to look at the world through the eyes of the other, in this case through the eyes of a Langur. I went to the nearest park in my surrounding and spent around two hours in the space. I made myself think as someone who would live in the trees. The idea that Nilgiri Langurs are an arboreal species really fascinates me. As human species, we really don’t find ourselves living in spaces like the trees, which are neither in the air nor on the ground.

I got interested in the concept of just spending time on the trees and trying to see what it would mean to spend time in these spaces. How does space, time and one’s body play a role in this activity. What are certain things that one would see differently from a tree? What other beings would you communicate with? How will time change when you are on a tree? How does having a Human body adapt to the idea of living on a tree? What is the idea of a home? Do you feel secured or unsafe? What is it that you will notice about a tree now?

Humans and chimpanzee share the same behavior and have a similar social structure, although apart 15 million years we share the same ancestors who lived on the trees. The life of monkeys have evolved to live on trees, some use tails to swing along like the Howler monkey native to south and central america, while some like the orangutans who swing using their body weight from one branch to another. Their food also varies depending on the species, some prefer just leaf, while some have even evolved to eat red meat. Their diet is highly dependent on the kind of forest they live in.

Following this idea, I explored what it would mean to see through the eyes of the monkey. Spending a few hours made be question certain ideas a little more deeply and I observed things that i would not have staying on the ground.

On a tree i observed things more deeply, focused on my breath which was heavy after climbing; The mosquitoes were a problem anyhow, although the higher on the tree I went, the less irritating they would get; I saw a bunch of butterflies probably playing up in the canopies; I saw dried and ripe fruits, which i felt like grabbing and eating; I felt i could take refuge into those trees, still living like a human away from the human condition; I saw big ants, looking for food, climbing the barks every now and then.

How I perceived my surroundings when i was on a tree

Visual representation of my experience on the tree

As I drew i realized that my figures, would evolve into drawing characteristics of a monkey, The face and the body have prominent features of a monkey like the limbs and the face structure.

Bark of the tree was something I noticed well while climbing the tree, The bark was also an integral part which helps in climbing.
Fruits on the tree
Resting and sleeping

An exploration with others

11/11/2019

Originating form the same idea of living on tree tops I further want to explore this concept with a group of people who would then share the same experience as I did. I have planned a short workshop with some of my classmates where I will be asking them to climb and sit on the trees for an hour. Their experiences combined with mine, would provide a greater insight into this exploration.

Poster for the workshop

12/11/2019

On the morning of 12th November a few of us gathered in a park, with the idea of climbing trees. The people present were my batch mates from Srishti. I invited them specifically because I wanted to explore this idea with a group of people I know considering that Nilgiri Langurs and most primates live in groups.

We started at 9:30 am. The first exercise was to walk around in the park, while observing the various different intricacies of the park. I noticed a few bugs who camouflaged with the bark of the tree. We also took time to figure out which tree one would want to climb and for what reason. after 15 minutes of observation we finally started climbing trees.

The next task was to now, climb a tree and spend some 20 mins on it. Each of us explored and experienced this process differently. A few things we kept in mind was that how our bodies were in the processes of climbing trees? How did we perceive time and What space did we occupy?

The activity was followed by a few discussions on how and what they felt when they were on the trees. The discussions further evolved into lager ideas of self and space, animal courage and capabilities and humans in the modern world. Some of the responses from people are mentioned below

Srishti “There were two things which stood out for me the most, one was when I was restlessly searching for a tree to climb, when everyone else was already atop a branch. This need for me to be a part of the pack, was reminiscent of the isolation that I feel, at the risk of being ‘left behind’, reminding me of the very real fear that animals would have when estranged from their herd. And how there is an inbuilt award system in place for not ‘coming down’ from the canopy.

The second was the immense density of life and animals that a single tree holds, which I noticed when sitting quietly on a branch. And how the sterile environment of our houses and classrooms not only don’t have this ecosystem, but struggles everyday to destroy”

Sahil- “A powerful idea leading to an understanding of how we need to empathise with beings beyond just humans. Through a simple act of climbing a tree, there were many questions relating to our position in this world, our behaviour as a social group and how our bodies change in relation to our spaces. The langoors from what I understand organise themselves in a social group and their survival is based on that. I’m wondering whether we are any different. Whether in this wake of individualism, our very survival is being put to the test. It also posed the question of how we organise ourselves into these personal spaces, that sometimes are not representative of a large group, but instead, smaller groups that then become representative of that sub-group.

I also took this as an opportunity to connect with the child within me, looking for that sense of wonder that embellished my childhood. I found myself wondering how it would be for a languor, living amongst the trees. Do they look at their home within the trees, the same way we look at our homes?

Overall, it was a simple yet profound way of connecting with another being in addition to wondering about man-made constructs through the eyes of a languor”

Prem- “It was a feeling to be connected to your child. The feeling of joy and wonder to have climbed the tree. The problem solving innate to one in finding ways to an obstacle much much bigger in size, and sense of accomplishment to scale. The smell of bark and texture of the tree with distinctive leaves and fruits sets one tree apart from the other. The sublimity in reaching the highest branch is something which found when you trek to the peak of a mountain. But the pure joy was to jump around the branches in a tree and scale it.”

The experience of climbing trees with others opened up a whole new spectrum for me. It allowed me to think and wonder the possibilities of exploring the idea in different context. It also made me reflect of the subject of habitat destruction that the Nilgi Langurs are a victim of. I started reflecting on what would happen if your homes are lost? what would animals do when they have no home left to be in,

SHIVANGI PANT

Written by

I am a student currently studying Earth Education and Communication. Creating art for a better world..:)

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