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Phil Douglis | all galleries >> Galleries >> Gallery Fifty Three: creating energy through tension > Captive waterfowl, near Vinh Long, Vietnam, 2008
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02-JAN-2008

Captive waterfowl, near Vinh Long, Vietnam, 2008

Legs bound together, these birds will soon become someone's dinner. They hang upside down in space, their beaks probing the negative space that exists between them and the bottom edge of the image. There is great tension within that space – it represents freedom, yet they will never see it. A gloved hand reaches towards them from the right hand edge, the tips of the fingers grazing their feathers. There is considerable tension generated by that touch as well. There is always tension in a struggle; it is the negative space here that helps define it.

Leica V-Lux 1
1/200s f/5.0 at 57.0mm iso100 full exif

other sizes: small medium large original auto
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Phil Douglis13-Oct-2018 23:01
Wonderful to hear from you once more. Your observations are always thought provoking. I am doing fine, and thanks for the big hug. I return it, and hope you are doing well.
BleuEvanescence13-Oct-2018 08:55
Yes, i eat meat -- But still, I have a hard time with the concept of "growing animals as potential food" for....us when i stop and reflect on it. Even without anthropomorphizing, i think there is something wrong with the way things are being done... Not because a culture is used to do things in a specific way it makes it "right"... I don't like when wings of birds can't fly...when they flap. This is a very poignant image Phil... You always capture the heart of the image and the tension is inside my own heart...too. Big hug, hope you are doing fine... x
Phil Douglis19-Apr-2008 03:36
You are speaking here of cultural tensions, Vera. And yes, they certainly match the photographic tensions here. As for the birds being "poor," we humans tend to anthropomorphize them. Birds do not consider such things as freedom, life, or death. These birds are grown from chicks as potential food for humans.
Guest 12-Apr-2008 19:22
For me, I see tension in this photo coming from the fact that once again we are seeing something common to the Vietnamese but not in our society. It reminds us that the meat we eat was once a living animal which for many causes discomfort. Note the comment...poor birds. Had they been dead already perhaps the photo would not have tugged at the heart strings so much.
Phil Douglis22-Jan-2008 19:55
The birds, as I implied in the caption, are alive. And yes, the one with its eye open has lifted its head a bit to see what is going on. There are bunches of birds, and the birds in each bunch are tied together at the legs. What you see here, Alina, are their bodies, hanging upside down. They flap their wings, but go nowhere. They are sold by the bunch, too -- and will soon be cooked for someone's dinner.
Alina22-Jan-2008 04:15
Poor birds. I was looking at that photo for a long time and I’m wonder if those birds are already dead? The one with its eye open looks alive.
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