Valeria Meiller, Agustin Schang

2020, 21’

“The Case of Meat” explores manifold stories behind the meat industry in Argentina. Taking off from the personal narrative of Tata Moya, an ex-worker at a slaughtering facility in the argentine pampas, this film opens the curtain on an industry socially designed to remain out of sight. Working against the common assumption of the slaughterhouse as a space designed to confine and conceal the violent encounter between butchers and cattle, the video delves into the complex cultural tales of a country known worldwide for its meat production and steak culture. What if meat isn’t separated from cattle? What if humans and animals are part of the same overarching narrative? By looking at disparate stories surrounding cattle and meat, “The Case of Meat” speculates about modes of kinship with other species, their role as co-workers and co-habitants of our world, and the making of a common history.

The programme was compiled by architect and curator Mariana Pestana, a selection of videos originally released as part of the 5th Istanbul Design Biennial, organized by Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts (İKSV), under the title of Empathy Revisited: Designs for More Than One.