From Vox Ferus to Canine Posthuman

Abstract

In this article I discuss the reworking of demarcation line between human and animal through the vocal sphere referring to a dog as an ‘animal of interest’. Both in contemporary visual art, music and opera I notice number of recent examples where the figure/construct/representation of the dog and dog-human relation served as the central motor of the piece. Thus I focus on representations of humans that ‘go out of themselves’, acquiring animal characteristics. I am especially intrigued of how this ‘going out of human’ reflects on the voice, if there is something that could be called animal/dog voice and what would be its characteristics. In the first section of the text, I briefly discuss the VR opera "Songs for a Passerby" (2023) by director Celine Daemen and writer Olivier Herter, where a digital dog, with its full range of vocal sounds, guides the listening spectator through the piece. I continue to the example of a feral child raised by dogs and delving into artworks such as Paula Rego's dog-women paintings and performance-art pieces by Oleg Kulik, where the artist embodies a dog. Eventually, I arrive at the analysis of the representation of the dog/animal vocal figure in operas by Alexander Raskatov: “A Dog’s Heart” (2008-9) based on Mikhail Bulgakov’s 1925 novel of the same name and “Animal Farm” (2023) based on the George Orvell’s 1945 timeless classic. I am especially interested in the vocal perspective of 'The Posthuman as Becoming-animal' in light of Rosi Braidotti's commentary on it. I also refer to the philosophy of human-animal issues discussed by Oxana Timofeeva. And why dogs? In her book on posthuman, Braidotti reminds us of Deleuze's classification of animals into three groups: those we watch television with, those we eat, and those we are scared of. This ubiquity of dogs in the human world places the figure of the dog in the spotlight, particularly concerning the realm of vocal sphere. Dog figures in above mentioned pieces acquire voices to express their identity and perform it in new relationality with all human and non-human people.