Guillermo Srodek-Hart, Buenos Aires, Argentina, Armadillo Shells, 2006, Archival Pigment print, 39 x 49 in.
Collection of North Dakota Museum of Art
“The site I photographed used to be the home of a rural drifter. I met him once, before he left. He slept underneath the tree; his diet consisted mainly of ‘peludos’ meat that he hunted with his dog. He explained to me that he would find the burrows and pour water down the hole, and when the wild armadillo came out, his dog would grab it. He would then take the peludo back to the site, cook its meat and eat it. The way he hung the shells on the tree was what struck me the most, since it felt as if it was a very sophisticated arrangement, which caused me a mix of horror and admiration. I saw this as an installation. The drifter was oblivious to the visual power of his constructed environment, the reasons for the disposition of the shells were purely practical: to prevent other predators from approaching his temporary camp.
He left some weeks after our conversation, to the relief of the gaucho’s children that live with their families on the farm. I never saw him again, but his spot remained untouched.
