AdamStennett

Q: The Guro, Baule, and Yaure peoples of the Ivory Coast use mice to Foretell the future by placing them in terracotta containers where their movements rearrange small flower-coated sticks, called literally "eyes of the mice”. The specially trained diviner then interprets the stick arrangement. Would you consider yourself to be a bit of a mouse-diviner?

A: I wouldn't call myself a diviner but I do believe that there are little signals all around us that could be telling us things if only we were more aware. Mice seem like an effective device to encourage people to change the scale of their everyday perceptions and get closer to the small.

Q: Looking at your paintings it is extremely difficult to imagine, but I read somewhere that you are color-blind. Is there a connection between your color-blindness and your fascination with mice?

A: Being color blind made me aware from an early age that the world that one person sees does not necessarily appear in the same way to another person. The fact that reds, greens and browns are difficult to differentiate for me I think forced me to become more aware of slight variations in shading. I have always been drawn to the aesthetic of black and white photography and aesthetically I do find mice beautiful. I also think I am fascinated by finding the beauty in all things especially those that repulse some people.

Q: You have done a lot of research on the role of rodents in the folklore of different cultures. Did this have an influence the way you view them?

A: I don't think this influenced the way I think about mice but it did underscore the idea that, whether we want to admit it or not, we as humans are incredibly connected to mice and rats. They are everywhere we are. Across cultures and over history mice and rats have been used, it could be argued, as the animal of choice, to effectively communicate very human ideas.

Q: Notwithstanding the rat’s historically evil reputation and despite the undeniable cuteness of the mouse, scientists tend to grow more attached to their lab rats. How would you explain this? Is there a particular reason you prefer to work with mice?

A: Basically it was a choice based on space. I bathe my mice and clean their cages once a week. This would be a much larger production with twenty rats rather than twenty mice.

Q: How would you describe your relationship with the mice? Are they your unruly children, playmates, toys, muses?

A: Right now I have about 20 mice living in tanks in my studio. I guess I would most accurately call them my friends. I care about them. I talk to them. I feel happy when I am around them. This is probably starting to sound a little like Willlard so maybe I should stop right there.

Q: One of the things project Rodent Respect strives to address is the ambiguity at the core of all animal experimentation. It is probably more comfortable for the scientist to assume that certain creatures have less value than others. As a non-scientist, do you think it is realistic to expect researchers to have respect, as the Dalai Lama recently suggested, for the animal subjects of their experiments?

A: First of all I have to say that I disagree with the idea that one creature's life has more value than another. I recently met several scientists who work with mice and found that they have an incredible amount of respect for the animals they work with. Scientists who work with rodents, I learned, develop a strong bond with them and an awareness of their importance to the history of medical research. I also found that these scientists really have a strong reaction to the paintings and see the mouse or rat as a very beautiful creature.

Q: Would you like to see your paintings hanging in scientific institutions where mouse and rat experiments are performed?

A: It would be great to see my paintings hanging in scientific institutions where mouse and rat experiments are performed. In a way I think a painting of any subject is a statement that this thing depicted in the painting is important. A reminder of the importance of the sacrifices mice and rats have made (whether or not they had a choice in the matter) which have led to countless medical breakthroughs would be incredibly appropriate in an institution like this.

Q: Is there anything you would like to add?

A: Thanks for your website. I really like it.