Project Artist: Jack Tan

Jack Tan is an artist who uses law, policy, social norms and customs as a medium of making art. He creates performances, sculpture and participatory projects that highlight the rules that guide human behaviour. Jack trained as a lawyer and worked in civil rights NGOs before becoming an artist. Jack’s Ph.D at Roehampton University explored legal aesthetics and performance. He has also taught sculpture at the Royal College of Art and University of Brighton, politics at Goldsmiths and is based in Galloway, Scotland.

Intergenerational Participants

ANNA THE TULIP: CHAMPION OF THE PLANT FOLK

Anna taught us about the importance of family ties to nonhumans. She encouraged us to think about what family would mean to them emotionally and how their experiences of family might be different.

CORINNE THE ANT: CHAMPION OF THE INSECT FOLK

Corinne encouraged us to question our human centered understanding of scale. She helped us understand just how much pride ants have in their architecture and how important culture is to flies. She gave voice to the insect's sense of power. Her Insect Champion wasn't making a plea for help but a battle cry to join an unstoppable force.

DOT THE QUARRY: CHAMPION OF THE NATURAL FEATURES FOLK

Dot explained how natural features operate on a different time frame to us humans. When the Quarry talked through Dot, a detached but almost benevolent attitude to humans was shown. Our tiny human activity helped overcome the Quarry's sense of boredom and emptiness.

EVAN THE TEENAGE FOX: CHAMPION OF THE MAMMAL FOLK

Evan taught us how vulnerable mammals are to random harm from us humans.
His speech in the town hall in which he spoke as Hetty the Hedgehog made us all empathise with the mammals, so much they won the first ever Non-Humans of Liverpool Tournament!.

TIA THE TEENAGE FROG: CHAMPION OF THE WATER FOLK

Tia called in from quite a few different places, from her living room, outside in the garden and even a hotel room. She brought a very different kind of nonhuman performance depending on where she was, making use of her surroundings as prompt improvisation ideas to develop her nonhuman character. This definitely helped us think about how important the environment is for nonhumans and how useful location can be for anyone trying to roleplay as a nonhuman character.

TOM THE TEENAGE PIGEON: CHAMPION OF THE BIRD FOLK

When Tom spoke as a bird, he did a lot to help us understand that birds see things differently to us. If we tried to relate an experience he had had as a bird to a common human experience, he would often say, 'no, not really, it's not like that, it's like this.' If we tried to work out why the birds might think a certain way, he would often tell us we were wrong. And who are we to contradict the Champion of the Bird folk?

Production Team

Conway McDermott, Developer for Non-Humans of Liverpool

Darius Ou, Graphic Designer for Non-Humans of Liverpool

Lucía Arias, Learning Manager, FACT

Neil Winterburn, Learning Technologist, FACT

Carlos Marfil, Learning Facilitator, FACT

Jenny Watts, Learning Producer, FACT

Alpha and Beta Testers

ALPHA GAME PLAYERS & TOWN HALL JUDGES

Nicola Triscott, Director/CEO, FACT

Emlyn Williams, Trustee, FACT

James Hammond, Head of Operations, FACT

Lucy Antal, Project Coordinator for North West Food

Rosalind Stockill, Head of Development, FACT

BETA GAME PLAYERS

Jess Fairclough, Bird Folk

Gina Schwarz, Plant Folk

Lesley Taker, Inanimate Folk

Mark Murphy, Mammal Folk

Charlotte Horn, Insect Folk