Pigs in Progress

I come from Berlin. I have lived in the capital for a long time, but now I must move, out to the suburbs because the area where I live is in great demand. Like many others here I am forced to leave the city in order to make a profitable residential area free for well-heeled tenants and purchasers. Now I am living on the outskirts. But the edge of the Grunewald is not my home. Ever since I saw a wild boar running at me from a neighbour’s garden I feel shaken and no longer feel secure.

I am Michael and I began to feed the wild boars in Berlin Grunewald in 1996. It was a sort of hobby. At night I have been putting out food at particular places in the woods – in the meantime the animals had almost become hand-tame – until the law breathed down my neck. Yes, I know it’s strictly speaking forbidden. The local residents are annoyed, but I reckon they have enough money to secure their property with a fence. And, to tell the truth, I’m not the only one round here who feeds the wild boars. I ain’t got no words for that.

The phenomenon of the emerging Berlin suburbs. Two worlds meet one another, leading to problems. It is a parodistic edited contrast between the opinions of the anxious residents and the wild-boar lovers, who feel misunderstood.

A night vision camera was used for the interview with Michael. A cloak-and-dagger operation. Kerstin Honeit quotes the residents’ opinions, while dressed up androgynously, surrounded by wild boars feeding in the winterly woods.

I am a wild boar from the Grunewald. I’m no longer afraid of people and take my food wherever it can be reached. Quite simply, I’m just hungry. (Valerie Schmidt)

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