Speak, Human or Not

Eli Cortiñas

Eli Cortinas (1979) lives and works in Berlin. Her practice is centered on the idea of questioning cinematic memory by analyzing and re-editing pre-existing sequences and merging them with her own films, videos, and sound recordings. In her instruction, the artist invites us to reflect on our language codes and those used by other species, and with a minimum of words, she strives to show that we tend to understand language as a purely human capacity.

  • Speak, Human or Not

Fun Fact

Some birds are great at mimicking sounds, words, and songs from humans or their constructions. While parrots can repeat certain words perfectly, the lyrebird is probably one of the most impressive: it can imitate an alarm siren, a crying human baby, a camera, or even a chainsaw!

Call to Action

Do you often speak to the animals you meet ? Studies show that it reduces stress by releasing the feel-good hormone oxytocin. Interacting with them lowers blood pressure and heart rate. Plus, it improves mental health, increasing feelings of connection and reducing loneliness. Regular interactions with animals can even boost humans' social and emotional abilities.

Riddle

Where are the most parrots found?

A) In the northern hemisphere, for the pleasure of our ears

B) In the southern hemisphere, like on postcards

C) At the poles, where no one hears them chattering

D) At the equator, right on the line