Gritos silenciados: maltrato animal y extinción por la moda y medicina tradicional, una denuncia artística (1980-actualidad)

Abstract

This research-creation project addresses the urgent and persistent problem of animal abuse affecting exotic and endangered species, focusing on the period from 1980 to the present. This period is considered crucial, as it marks the consolidation of two global economic forces: the fashion industry and traditional medicine, which have operated with systematic cruelty, often invisible, to the detriment of wildlife. The work is based on the articulating question: How can artistic expression raise awareness and promote the protection of wildlife against animal abuse in the fashion and traditional medicine industries, covering the period from 1980 to the present? It is guided by the general objective of developing an artistic proposal that highlights animal abuse in these industries, raising awareness about the protection of species. The body of the document is structured to give an account of the research and the creative process. After justifying the relevance of the topic and stating the problem, the theoretical framework is established. This includes the theoretical references that define the conceptual context of animal ethics, the aesthetic references that justify the formal decision of the work, and the legal and regulatory framework that supports the denunciation. Subsequently, the methodological design explains the four phases of Research-Creation that guided the project: Contextualization, Conceptualization, Production, and Socialization. The development of the project begins with a detailed historical account that contextualizes the issue since 1980. It continues with the experimental development phase, which narrates the methodological process, from two-dimensional experimentation to the three-dimensional materialization of the sculptural series Silenced Screams. This chapter concludes with a symbolic analysis of each of the three pieces, explaining the critique contained in the intervened trophy shield that unifies them. Finally, the conclusions demonstrate the satisfactory fulfillment of the general and specific objectives, verifying the effectiveness of the work in raising awareness and contributing to the ethical debate. The project, developed with the support of the Research and Creation Seedbed, stands as compelling evidence of art's potential to generate dialogue and awareness about the need to protect wildlife, while establishing a relevant methodological model for future teaching practice.