Learn more about a controversial experiment into interspecies communication, referenced in the title work of Amalia Pica’s current exhibition Please Open Hurry. Join us for a free screening of the documentary Koko: A Talking Gorilla (1978), presented in partnership with Queensland Film Festival. At 6:15pm, Courtney Morgans, from the School of Biological Sciences, University of Queensland, will introduce the film and provide insight into the significance of Koko and primate communication research.
Koko: A Talking Gorilla | Dir. Barbet Schroeder, 1978 | 85 minutes
In 1977, acclaimed director Barbet Schroeder entered the universe of the world’s most famous primate to create the captivating documentary Koko: A Talking Gorilla. It introduces us to Koko soon after she was brought from the San Francisco Zoo to Stanford University by Dr. Penny Patterson for a controversial experiment—she would be taught the basics of human communication through American Sign Language. An entertaining, troubling, and still relevant documentary, Koko: A Talking Gorilla sheds light on the ongoing ethical and philosophical debates over the individual rights of animals and brings us face-to-face with an amazing gorilla caught in the middle.
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Courtney Morgans is a PhD candidate at the Centre of Excellence for Environmental Decisions, University of Queensland. She has worked in the NGO sector, with Oxfam Australia, Taronga Conservation Society, Reef Check Australia, Global Vision International, and Sydney Wildlife. Her research focuses on evaluating the effectiveness of conservation strategies, using the Bornean Orangutan as a case study. She is interested in the impact conservation efforts have had on protecting this endangered ape, and in developing recommendations for improved outcomes.
