Animetro • Thomas Subtil and Clarisse Rebotier (series)


by Gérald Vidamment, posted 26/03/2014



The article 7.1 of the Subway Terms of Use regarding the Animals and objects transportation Conditions appears to be ambiguous: "Animals are generally forbidden inside the whole subway area." Generally. Some animals are indeed "allowed" by the regulation, those considered as "small pets". But Clarisse Rebotier and Thomas Subtil ’s animals ignore this unacceptable discrimination. Like their fellows Alex, Marty, Melman and Gloria, which discovered the sea for the first time in 2005, they decided to invest the subway and to visit the Parisian capital enjoying this wonderful public transportation.
Let’s confess it: if Animetro remains a pure fiction born from the unlimited imagination of two photographers, each picture makes us believe that everything is real. From the giraffe passing its head through the window to smell the fresh air, to the lion sneaking in under the security gate without paying its dues, the ostrich ready to knock the driver’s skull with its beak, confusing him with an egg, or the casual conversation between a young-minded zebra and a rather condescending giraffe on a station platform, these unlikely scenes are close to augmented reality. Of course we could make fun of it, joke about the artists’ ludicrous fancy and the unsolvable quirkiness of the situation. But I defy anyone to ask these one-day travelers to show their ticket before reaching the nearest exit. Because it will all make sense when pigs fly.

Clarisse Rebotier and Thomas Subtil | France | The Developer #34 | en français
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