MAN - [Steve Cutts, 2012]

Animation created in Flash and After Effects looking at mans relationship with the natural world.

Music: In the Hall of the Mountain King by Edvard Grieg.

Source: freefromharm.org

The animated short known as MAN is a darkly comic, disturbing view of our species who wreaks havoc on other species and on nature itself. MAN is a parable of a man in conflict with the world at large, seeking power over rather than unity with it. MAN offers a biting commentary on this male character’s destructive and violent pathos. MAN shows a human being at his worst, creating vast suffering for animals at every turn. And in the end, MAN, sitting on his throne, is dealt a karmic blow. He is destroyed by beings from another planet who land on earth, squish him into a welcome mat, then shuffle off in their spaceship.

As this video reaches almost 1.5 million views on Facebook, some interesting commentary has emerged. In her blog post about MAN, Zoe Weil wrote, “[A]s I watched this animated film, I found myself thinking how behind the times it was; how dystopian, when what we need right now are visionary ideas and examples of solutionaries doing the important work that lies ahead.”

At the very least, MAN will get many people thinking about how arrogant we are as a species. Yet, as Weil points, MAN offers no solution to the mess we’ve created.

MAN was produced by Steve Cutts, a London-based freelance artist who specializes in animation, illustration, and fine art. MAN was published on December 21, 2012. For more information on Steve Cutts and his work, see www.stevecutts.com.

“I travel around the world 300 days a year, doing my best to make more people realize the harm we humans are doing to our planet. How is it possible that the most intellectual species that has ever existed is destroying its only home? I think one of the main reasons is selfishness and short-term thinking. By thinking only of the next quarter’s profit or our immediate wants, we are ignoring the impact of the choices we make today on generations to come. We are using up the resources of the planet as though they are inexhaustible – which is not true. This clever cartoon provides a chilling commentary of our selfish behavior.”

Jane Goodall, Ph.D., DBE Founder, the Jane Goodall Institute & UN Messenger of Peace