Greetings from the Pasture documents a live intervention I did in the late summer of 2011. Adjacent to one of the walking trails I enjoy near my Hudson Valley home is a pasture of grazing steer, also known as “grass-fed beef.”
I made signs displaying facts and statistics about animal agriculture, from the greenhouse gases such practices create, to the suffering of the animals as they’re led to slaughter. I then nailed the signs to the wooden fence posts adjoining the pasture.
To be clear, posting these signs, though adjacent to a public path, was trespassing. So I was surprised that they lasted a full three days before they were taken down, presumably by the owner of the pasture. Unfortunately this is still going on to this day, these poor animals baking in the sun until they’re taken away to slaughter
Many people hike this path, so I thought if I could help even a handful connect the dots between these beautiful animals and “meat,” I’d be satisfied.
After completing the installation, I observed the path from a footbridge in the distance, and did indeed see many people slowing down to look at the signs.
With the photos taken to document this intervention, I created what looks like an old-fashioned souvenir fold-out postcard. The pretty, bucolic cover of this fold-out postcard stands in sharp contrast to the harsh realities of raising animals for food, mirroring the disconnect many have between sentient beings and what’s on their plate.
