The humble chicken takes centre stage in the world that Belgian conceptual artist Koen Vanmechelen has created on the outskirts of Genk at the former site of Zwartberg coal mine. The open air sculpture park-cum-scientific experiment known as Labiomista is, in part, dedicated to the idea of the Cosmopolitan Chicken. Walking the self guided route around the 24 hectare site, chicken references are everywhere.
This is the story of Vanmechelen’s fascination with the once wild bird that roamed the jungles of Southeast Asia, only to become the most industrially farmed animal in history. It is simultaneously confounding, magnificent and just a little bonkers. This sense only grows as you spot more animals: tropical birds in an aviary, highland cattle grazing in a field, alpacas, llamas, emus, ostriches and at least one camel, in various enclosures.
Animals can often be found interacting with sculptures. The camel was rolling in the dirt next to a giant sculpture of an animal skull topped with a golden horn. In a nearby field was a massive chicken foot. This seems weird for a host of reasons, especially when you discover that after the coal mine closed this site became a private zoo. Not just any old zoo, but one the BBC described as the worst zoo in the world in 1994.
It closed in 1997, but not before a string of disasters including bears killing a member of staff and monkeys biting a child’s fingers off. Today, the animals are a central part of Vanmechelen’s world view about genetic diversity and our relationship with the natural world. Conservation work is at the heart of Labiomista’s mission. It is a strange place to find in an economically depressed former mining town. Strange and wonderful.
Vanmechelen is concerned by the fact that most parts of the world have their own very specific breed of chicken. The lack of genetic diversity in these purebred chickens led to the Cosmopolitan Chicken project, cross-breeding to create more diverse and resilient chickens. This chimed with Genk’s history. The coals mines attracted workers from around the world and, with over 100 nationalities, it is the most diverse city in Flanders.
Labiomista was born out of a response to industrial decline and multiculturalism, mixed with a desire to create a healthier human-chicken relationship. That may make it sound like it’s not fun, that would be a mistake. I arrived just as it was opening, the incredibly friendly staff gave me the lowdown on the site and then sent me off with an audio guide to explore in my own time.
First stop, the old mine director’s house, now the site of artworks that fuse humans with animals. The red and white brick house is next to the aviary and Vanmechelen’s studio. On the manicured lawns behind are sculptures, including one of a golden chicken standing on a silver globus cruciger, or an orb with a cross on top. A trail leads off into the surrounding park.
The route takes you past more sculptures and information boards, often about chickens, until you reach a chain metal curtain. Step through it and you are in an area of wilderness populated by long poles with stork nests on top. At the far end of this area is a small lake with another aviary where I came across a highland cow. There was a plan to reintroduce wolves (yes, wolves) here until, that is, an actual wild wolf was spotted in Limburg.
Back on the trail and a giant chicken leg rises up in the middle of an enclosure. Further on is the camel and skull sculpture. It looked like a shrine that a post-apocalyptic society worshipped at to plead with an unforgiving deity for mercy. There was definitely a whiff of Lord of the Flies about it. Just writing this down makes it seem like a fever dream, but I guess that’s partly the goal of Labiomista.
This is a brave experiment to inject life into an area devastated by the same global forces that closed the coal mines, and elevated chicken monoculture as the supreme example of industrial animal farming. It’s surreal at times, but never less than fascinating and fun.
This looks to me like a definite case of “only in Belgium!” and I want to visit it now! Those sculptures are really wonderfully weird. By the way, if you can get access to BBC Radio 4, they are currently running a series of programmes about the industrialisation of the chicken (https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001ry9p). Dan Saladino’s book, “Eating to Extinction” also covers the subject in some depth.
It’s a very Belgium experience, amazing and weird. Thanks for the link, I can get it as a podcast, even though I know it’s going to be depressing.
Love this.