Lumi Barron, a Carnegie Mellon University School of Art senior, explored anthropomorphism in children’s literature by recreating it with real squirrels in her backyard. Tempted with treats placed within domestic scenes, the squirrels were filmed at 120 and 320fps in short videos. They can be seen having a bagel for breakfast, reading books, preparing food, and “working from home with kids” (below). Barron writes:
This project is inspired by children’s book illustrations of animals picnicking together in the forest, and is a continuation of the same project from earlier this semester. The squirrels perform uniquely ‘human’ activities such as reading and “baking”. They eat from tables with tea pots and snack on bagels in their kitchens. Their choices of activities mirror how I, a human, spend my time.
What I’m particularly excited about, in this set of squirrel videos, is that I think they portray an intimacy of the single squirrel room space, which unintentionally mimicked how being stuck at home all the time feels.
Barron acclimated the squirrels to the scenes over eight weeks using squirrel food, walnuts, apples, carrots, and peanut butter. Around 13 local squirrels participated in total.
Find the project on Instagram at @sciuriouser_and_sciuriouser:
High quality squirrel content! Watch more squirrel videos on TKSST, including these favorites:
• Maestro: CGI forest animals sing opera on a moonlit night
• Watch These Frustrated Squirrels Go Nuts
• How to Make a Squirrel Proof Bird Feeder
• Squirrel Obstacle Course
• A squirrel takes a GoPro up into the tree branches
via Golan Levin.
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