The book by Anaïs López leads us to consider again the difficult, complicated, sometimes tragic, relationship between man and the environment. And in some ways it is an invitation to reflect on the same nature of our species. She does it by recovering a very unusual little-known story that she discovers during her artistic residency in Singapore. It tells of a bird called Mynah which is persecuted because of its annoying croaking. While doing some research, Anaïs López discovers the terrible ways in which the government and the citizens of Singapore are working to eliminate, or rather to exterminate this population of birds.

Her book 'The Migrant' documents a journey which aims to investigate and document the motivations and facts of this daily massacre. For example she discovers the existence of a private Gun Club in which members have a license to kill, and go around armed with shotguns. She also meets, at the University of Singapore, David Tan, who has been investigating this extermination for over a decade. It seems that there is not an escape for these birds initially brought from Java, Indonesia, to Singapore through the songbird trade. Mynahs have extraordinary singing qualities though they are no longer attractive for the residents. Things have changed since 1965, when Singapore had its independence and from being a sleepy town with rubber plantations turned into a bustling metropolis. Still, there is perhaps a ray of hope. There seems to be a “Promised Land” called Myanmar where people believe on a divine power of Mynahs to fulfill wishes by acting through the gods. Perhaps the time has come for the Mynahs to make a new exodus.

The book is a precious object, to be kept safe as the message contained in its story. The care of the materials is excellent, the choice and the combinations of the various iconographic repertoires is careful and thoughtful. The colored comics makes it suitable and accessible even for kids. And the video episodes that tell and reveal the process make everything more curious, understandable and interesting. And it all ends with a message of hope, a hand-made pop-up that invites the reader's imagination to soar in flight, to fly away from that human stupidity that today is a social fact. This book, and even more the research from which it takes shape, have the merit of bringing the song of these birds outside Singapore, to send this unspeakable story of animal genocide to the attention of a wider audience. We know it; animals do not have rights, they are goods, consumables, they have become commodities. Yet Anaïs helps us to embrace a different vision, a vision in which human and natures can live together in mutual respect and understanding. At the end of the day we are all passing by. And everyone should try to leave a significant trace. Anaïs certainly did it with her book ‘The Migrant’. A demonstration of humanity. Of a different humanity. We are all guests on this planet for a little while. Birds included. We are all migrants...

The book is designed by Teun van der Heijden. It contains handmade silk screen prints, illustrations by renowned Singaporean cartoonist Sonny Liew and a handmade pop-up by artist Moon Brouwer. The book is a work of art in itself that can be used to share the story of the Javan Mynah with others. 

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LINKS
Anaïs López 
Book on vimeo
Video docu on Mynah
Urbanautica The Netherlands