Activists have taken to a Kent city as part of a global anti-dairy farming protest, featuring a “herd of milked women”.
Protesters took to the streets of Canterbury earlier today before coming to a halt outside The Beaney House of Art and Knowledge.
Warning: Graphic images below
The performance art shows a herd of topless women shackled and wearing makeshift breast-milking machines, which are meant to mirror the conditions of female dairy cows.
It aims to ask the public the question whether what campaigners describe as “the dairy industry’s continued exploitation of the female reproductive system” is humane.
Artist Stephanie Lane, founder of Speciesism.WTF unveiled more than 20 events globally and simultaneously in the project titled Milk is not Human(e) on International Women’s Day at art institutions across the world.
She stated her aim is to collaborate with those who claim to foster diversity by shedding light on the experiences of nonhuman animals and speciesism to inspire critical thinking on the matter and foster a more compassionate world.
“Art institutions worldwide have a responsibility to deliver inclusive perspectives regarding all sentient beings to our modern-day culture, now more than ever,” said Stephanie.
“There is no place for speciesist collections and exhibitions which only perpetuate immeasurable harm against the most oppressed beings on earth.
“It is time for the art world to be honest on the matter, to reflect the audience whom they seek to engage with critically, and to inspire change for all beings and the future of our planet.”
Events coordinator, Susan Clarke, added: “Stephanie Lane’s art installations have engaged and alarmed audiences throughout the world.
“This is another opportunity to see her unique expression of the inequality afforded to farmed animals and the cruelty of our food chain!”
The performance took place in 14 UK cities as well as in New York, Mumbai, Sydney, Paris, Copenhagen and Berlin.
After witnessing the performance, members of the public were approached by art guides and asked, “do you think this is humane?”
Stephanie added that International Women’s Day was chosen as it was felt to be an important day in which we should all be aware of the “the unnecessary exploitation of the reproductive system of enslaved females in the dairy industry”.
She said: “Never before have the public been more interested and open to understanding the ethics and implications of animal agriculture.
“The art world has always been a critical and influential force in creating cultural changes, leaving lasting, positive effects across all social justice issues.
“The time is now for the arts to be a part of the urgent change needed for our fellow animals and for the planet.”
