Parting Shots from Animals, 1980
(BBC Omnibus)
Single channel video, 60′
Screenplay, narration: John Berger
Courtesy Mike Dibb
Parting Shots from Animals, directed by Mike Dibb, was inspired by John Berger’s essay Why Look at Animals? which lends its title to the exhibition and has been a significant point of reference. The documentary consists of a diverse series of arresting “films within a film”, each presented as if made about humans from the perspective of the animals whose lives we may appear to celebrate, but continue to exploit and to destroy. The film decries the commodification and exploitation of animals as opposed to earlier forms of human-animal relationships that were more mutually beneficial, while highlighting our obsession with defining the world in our own image without consideration for other non-human life with which we share the planet. While John Berger doesn’t appear in the film and wasn’t directly involved
in its making, he narrates to great effect the text he co-wrote. Its provocative opening sequence sets the tone: “We animals are disappearing. We have made a film, not so much about us the animals, but about you, the people…”.
Mike Dibb was born in West Yorkshire in 1940.
Mike Dibb is an award-winning filmmaker who has directed and produced documentaries on art, literature, music, science, and sport. Best known for his collaborations with John Berger, including Ways of Seeing and Parting Shots from Animals, his films have had a lasting impact on visual culture. His work, which spans a range of productions for BBC and Channel 4, has received accolades, including a BAFTA and an Emmy, cementing his reputation as a leading figure in documentary filmmaking.
Chris Rawlence was born in 1945.
Chris Rawlence is a director, producer, and writer specialising in science and arts-focused documentaries. His work, featured on BBC, Channel 4, and US networks, often explores neurology and made-for-TV opera, and his projects push the boundaries of documentary storytelling, merging science with artistic expression. He produced Parting Shots from Animals, a film inspired by John Berger’s essay “Why Look at Animals?”.
John Berger was born in 1926 in London, UK; he died in Antony, France, in 2017.
John Berger was a highly influential writer and thinker whose 1972 book Ways of Seeing revolutionised art history. His work examined how ideology is conveyed through visual media and inspired generations of scholars. Berger also wrote extensively on human-animal relationships, most notably the essay, “Why Look at Animals?” in his 1980 volume, About Looking, which lends its title to the exhibition. A novelist, critic, and activist, he won the Booker Prize in 1972 and used his platform to advocate for workers, migrants, and the oppressed.
