Summary

Referring to two historical events during World War II in Taiwan under Japanese colonial rule, they explore the performative relationship between ‘gestures’ and ‘horror’: For the memorial ceremonies at the zoo to commemorate animals that died during military operations, animals such as elephants and orangutans were trained to kneel down as a gesture of mourning. The other reference in their conversation is the execution of dozens of animals at the Yuanshan Zoo in Taiwan in 1944, intended to prevent civilian casualties caused by animals after the US military had bombed the cities. These unfortunate animals were later turned into taxidermy. Drawing on these historical observations, ‘The Zoo Hypothesis’ explores the role of technology in archiving the world and constructing human memory. At its center lie the tense relationships between animals and humans, and between matter and memory.