ZEFREY DOES THIS VACANT STARING AND CLICKING AS WELL, YOU ARE NOT ALONE...

zefrey throwell

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WOODLAND CONCERTINA

A collaboration between
Ivan Mesek and myself.

Croatia - Slovenia
February 2016

Woodland Concertina
2016
video still

Slovenia has recently erected 500km of concertina wire across its border. The brutal fence is meant to be a deterrent against immigrants making their way north from Croatia. One of the many unfortunate consequences is that thousands of animals are ensnared in the fence and starve to death. Wild animals are a unique factor in the massive conflict happening in Europe right now. They are nationless and free to move unfettered between countries. Wild animals are, in a sense, the ideal that the European Union sought in opening its borders. Due to the fence they have lost this freedom and have now become "Croatian" or "Slovenian" animals, unable to move through their habitat, they are detained by the state.

Woodland Concertina
2016

Croatian artist Ivan Mesek and New York artist Zefrey Throwell created a short film to highlight this tragedy and call attention to the absurdity of the situation. The film is the story of animals attempting to negotiate the quagmire of bureaucracy that immigrants currently face. The plots follow Zefrey and Ivan as they gather a pheasant, duck and wild rabbit from near the Slovenian fence. They attempt to get police help, but are turned away. Taking the law into their own hands, they forge Croatian passports for each of these animals and set off for the border. The border guards are incredulous and they are turned away yet again. Humorous and yet heartbreaking when viewed through the lens of the everyday struggles faced by thousands of immigrants, “Woodland Concertina” uses the universally adored story of animals to pierce the thorny issues we as humans can't bring ourselves to look at.

SPECIAL THANK YOU:

Lucija Mesek
Atila Špiljar
Vedran Hunjek
Nadja Frank
The Martinčević Family

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