null

Herdentier

null
A photograph of people dressed in red garments and headwear in a field

Herdentier

Date: 2025
Medium: Digital film and PDF
Object number: TH.2025.15.CC.1-2
Description1. Digital PDF
2. Digital film

Herdentier is a walking performance that explores the relationship between individual and collective movement.The performance looks at the question of whether humans are herd animals through different stages.

Description from the artist:
HERDENTIER
Berlin, Treptower Park
November 18, 2024

We walk alone.
We follow.
We move in a group.
We lead a group.
No one leads our group?

Herdentier looks at how groups organise without a central authority. Following in the group is not just about submission, but also about saving energy and adapting naturally. Each performer responds to the actions of others, showing that following is a personal and flexible act. The performance asks how being part of a group affects the freedom and identity of the individual, and what role leadership plays in communities.

Can we stand alone?

The shift from individual actions to collective movement is marked by a clear, but decentralised structure. It shows how groups can exist without a clear leader. The group moves together in a way that is both synchronised and individual. This creates a space for reflection on the balance between autonomy and belonging