Nomadic Studies: The Others

Philosophy places animals in the Other category, thereby placing them alongside excluded, vulnerable, and dissimilar figures, such as children, women, migrants, and so on. In this sense, the animal becomes one of the names for the Other, whose relationships become subjects of ethics and politics. Having become a migrant in 2022, a foreign element in the society I find myself in, I also join this category of Others. After the collapse of the USSR, Georgia abandoned the previously practiced principles of dealing with stray animals (catching and shooting). The current generations of street dogs do not fear humans, calmly roaming the city, sometimes wandering alongside people as companions. During events under the common name Nomad Studies I interact with, and sometimes become the starting point for the formation of packs, and groups of stray animals. Sometimes I have to persuade them to follow me, and sometimes they willingly follow, finding a worthy companion in me. Other times, I join them myself. We could be just two for the entire walk, or a big pack might form - I never know if such communication will succeed (and what to consider successful or unsuccessful). In some happenings, I consider creating a pack as a political act. Against the backdrop of the unfolding political crisis in Russia, there is a growing need for civil society. It's no longer enough to just be an artist, a builder, or a homemaker. Now, one must also be a citizen. Dogs, cats, and birds become my guides through the vast, unfamiliar city, allowing me to become a part of its diverse collective body.