During a two hour walking tour starting at OMHP, we interact with the landscape of the city from a critical animal studies-perspective. We will explore facades that include or allude to non-human animals in comparison to facades that portray enslaved persons. On Dam Square we discuss the negative position of pigeons in the postmodern city and their histories, and one street further, a fast-food restaurant that includes photos of half-naked women sitting on hamburgers. The visit ends with an arranged meeting with The Police Cat, a famous cat on Instagram, and this also sparks the discussion of what it means to use animals for animation and the influence this specific case has on the status of the police. In a broader sense, we discuss what it means to live with ‘domesticated’ animals.

The examples bring us to discuss the (neo)colonialist, capitalist, sexist and specisiest frameworks and invite participants to reimagine kinship, curiosity and care in relation to living and building in the city. After the visit there is a borrel in a nearby café to continue discussions that arose during the tour.

Suggested readings TBA.