© 2024 FLAT // LAND, Amsterdam
Within the context of Western society, individuals who are considered 'Alphas' are considered socially dominant individuals. Alpha refers (De Waal) to the highest-ranking individual of a social group (the “leader of the pack”. Because we share the evolutionary heritage with nonhuman primates, comparisons are frequently made. But what constitutes being an 'Alpha'? What are the differences between Alpha males and Alpha females? In some species, where alpha males exhibit “masculine” behaviors such as coercion, alpha females engage in more “feminine” behaviors such as grooming and choosing a more cooperative approach to reaching and maintaining alpha status. More recent scientific research questions the significance of the status given to 'Alpha' being leader within a strict social hierarchy. These scientists agree that alpha status is just automatically obtained when animals breed since they will be dominant to their offspring. So in natural wolf packs, the alpha male and female are merely the breeding animals, the parents of the pack. They show no dominance behaviour towards the rest of the group since there is no group of similar individuals competing for rank. To put it simple: there appears to be no "ownership zone" around the mouth of the wolf; regardless of the rank of a challenger, the owner shall retain the food it possesses.
In the Glass House (Glazen Huis) FLAT // LAND shall discuss with different artists who engage with animals and ethologist their perspectives on the dynamics of dominance, leadership and assertiveness in the wild and how they form rightly or wrongly a model for our capitalist society.
More information shortly!
The Alpha Female is at heart of FLAT // LAND that changed its course in 2023 the gallery. The goal of director Fi van Schendel is to transform the gallery from an international high-profile art gallery into an international project space focused on ethology and art. Fi will bring a selection of artworks that invite to rethink our relationship between humans and nature, between us and all other life forms and species. Artworks that assist us to engage and become compassionate, and distribute scientific findings to generate knowledge across species and beings. By reassessing the wider natural environment in which all living forms are interconnected, FLAT // LAND hopes to soften the distinction between humans and other species.