Camille Auer – Ruff Knowledge | PREMIER – Baltic Circle festival

‘Ruff Knowledge’ is a presentation about ruffs and the diversity of gender and sexuality in nature.

Homosexual behaviour and gender diversity are common phenomena in nature that receive little or no coverage in the natural media. Ruff (Calidris pugnax) is perhaps the most diverse species of wild vertebrate. At mating time, birds in male plumage all look different from each other. In addition, some so-called males look like so-called females. All different kinds of ruffs mate with each other. Despite this, birds are generally divided into two sexes, and their behaviour is thought to be motivated by heterosexual reproduction.

When observing nature, people tend to make a circular reasoning: they interpret observations of nature through their own value system, and this value-laden version of nature is used to justify their own values as “natural”.

‘Ruff Knowledge’ poses the question: “What do we know about birds?” Is it possible for us to know something about what it is like to be a bird? Could this knowledge change our relationship with birds and the world? What happens to humans when they observe birds? And what happens to birds?