Ode to Orion

One of the animals most commonly used for testing is the rodent; mice, gerbils, hamsters, guinea pigs and rats. This is due to the low cost of breeding, feeding and keeping them and the fact that their fast reproduction rate makes it possible to see mutations throughout family lines. Rats and mice are considered to share 99% of their genes with humans and so make medical testing more precise than other animals. When approaching the issue of animal testing I did not want to show the horrific images that are commonly used in animal rights videos; cats with blown pupils due to head trauma, primates enduring brain surgery with little to no anaesthetic and rats created to be genetically predisposed to aggressive cancers. I wanted to show the alternative; animals that are commonly thought of and colloquially known as 'lab rats' as what I believe they could be known as; companions.

‘Ode to Orion’ (2009) pays homage to my pet rat Orion who died unexpectedly in 2009. Besides being a sad occurrence for us, his brother Leoben stopped eating and moving, so we decided that he was most likely depressed by the loss of his companion and that the best move would be to get him a new friend. We quickly acquired this new 'brother' for Leoben and he slowly returned to normal. I was fascinated by this 'human' attribute of Leoben's personality and upon further research I realised that rats can suffer in a similar way even when abandoned by an owner. I had always appreciated rats as being fun and simple pets but suddenly had a greater understanding of how complicated their psyches actually were. They could quite obviously form bonds with other rats and people.

One of the main issues involving animal rights is the notion of sentience. Peter Singer states that; "all sentient beings, humans or nonhuman, have one right: the basic right not to be treated as the property of others.” Although this statement in itself speaks out against our keeping of the pet rats, the emphasis should be placed on the use of the word sentient. It is generally understood that the basis of sentience is the ability to experience pleasure or pain, and it is proven that animals can feel both of these. It should be noted that this sentience is furthered by the animals’ ability to also experience joy and sadness, and to form bonds with other sentient beings. If this is the case, then it is obvious that rats are sentient beings and should not be made to suffer.

Ode to Orion is made up of nine white cardboard takeaway containers that sit on the wall side by side. In each box there is a pen drawing of a rat. After burying Orion I collected some leaves from around his grave and carefully enveloped them in a sewn tissue paper casing. This was a lengthy process that was cathartic to me whilst I was mourning his loss. These white leaves are sewn into the corners of the boxes. Orion and Leoben enjoyed being sprayed with water. I made a plate of diluted non-toxic red watercolour and let Leoben run around in it and then placed him in the boxes, so that he could leave his mark on the work.