The photographs for this project were taken in 2010 and 2011 at various zoos in the United States and Europe. The habitat of the title is both that of the animal (made by humans) and that of the humans (enhanced by the animals).





Animals represent a multitude of different, conflicting meanings to us, whether we are consuming them, housing them as companions, using their images to decorate our homes and sell our products, or restraining and enclosing wild animals. Are we protectors, exploiters, or compatriots? Zoos serve as a clear manifestation of the state of our relationship to wild animals. They are a manufactured point of contact with the wild, and fulfill some need we have as humans to connect with nature, with wildness, and perhaps to have dominion and control over that wildness. The animals are both revered and constrained by us.