Charles M. Schulz
The relationship between humans and non-human beings—like our bond with pets—is a timeless experience, constantly enriched through mass culture. In many comics, this relationship unfolds in open-ended ways: dominant roles are exchanged, dissolved, or replaced by colorful universes where all species more or less coexist with equal rights.
The study of zoomorphic comics can offer interpretive tools that help us avoid metaphysical anthropocentrism and the illusion of a singular, exclusive human purpose. Focusing on the iconic Peanuts comic strip by Charles M. Schulz, I explore the conventional dynamic of humans and pets (Charlie and Sally Brown with Snoopy) and uncover a different narrative: the relationship between a dog and a small canary named Woodstock. Or more precisely, between a poetically-minded dog and a feathered, nervous companion who seems like he’s never quite earned his wings.
Their connection highlights the value of cross species communication. Snoopy and Woodstock’s coexistence becomes a miniature model of interspecies dialogue—Snoopy offers a reflective vantage point from his rooftop, while Woodstock brings nothing but his wings and the restless desire to find himself. In this series of “wandering sculptures,” humans take on the role of facilitators and coordinators of interspecies understanding.
Snoopy’s rooftop, a place for mental travel and nighttime dreaming, becomes an architectural prototype—one that inspires a series of sculptures. One could imagine that if Snoopy ever moved, he’d take his home with him like a nomadic creature, grounding his identity in that space. Like any true nomad, Snoopy never leaves his home behind. He carries it, rebuilds it, and transforms it. As a protective figure and mentor in Woodstock’s aspirations to fly, Snoopy encourages his friend’s identity development. Woodstock’s journey toward independence is symbolized by the creation of his own birdhouse (Woodstock’s Birdhouse, 2024).
Linus, another central Peanuts character, is often seen clutching his security blanket. His older sister Lucy—part neighborhood therapist, part real-estate guru—frequently tries to convince him to let it go. Her infamous psychiatric booth reappears again and again, with Linus as one of her regular “clients” (At Lucy’s Booth: Lose that Blanket, Linus, 2024).
In response, Woodstock—driven by a mix of stubbornness and creative obsession—sets up his own booth. While probably attracting fewer visitors, it’s perfectly suited to his species' scale and needs (Woodstock’s Help Advice, 2024). His growing independence also finds expression in a new public forum where he defends his freedom (Schroeder’s Auditorium and Linus Roof for Woodstock Venue, 2024).
This narrative continues through sculptural installations inspired by Snoopy’s home and Woodstock’s overnight stays on the roof (Snoopy Builds Woodstock’s Birdhouse, 2024, Snoopy Rebuilds, 2024). These dreamlike getaways don’t require perfect flight skills, though Snoopy’s attempts to teach Woodstock proper flying reflect his ongoing concern for his friend’s independence (Woodstock’s Landing Strip, 2024). Together, gazing at the stars from the rooftop, the two friends explore the possibilities of dreaming and reflection (Wind Makes My Ears Flap – Keep Looking Up, 2024).
Today, this reflective way of “dwelling” takes on new meaning. Since the debut of Peanuts in October 1950—and Heidegger’s speech a year later, Building, Dwelling, Thinking (Bauen, Wohnen, Denken)—the world has changed. In light of contemporary refugee and migration flows, we are invited to rethink what it means to dwell and to shelter, however temporarily.
The featured works focus on makeshift shelters that offer temporary refuge to non-human species—birds, dogs, and cats. Inspired by Snoopy’s house and typologies of “spiritual” housing, these triangular structures act like miniature settlements, offering stability, nourishment, and shelter. The open spaces within them create a kind of hospitality zone for every “wandering” being, while also embracing the ethics of emergency design and survival-focused architecture.
These constructions support the symbiotic relationship between Snoopy and Woodstock, offering refuge in a world marked by displacement. As sculptures, they reframe the history of sculpture itself, proposing new forms that adapt to their environments. Their components can be rearranged into different configurations, reflecting the constant shifts brought on by climate change. From the perspective of ecological ethics, this design philosophy serves as a reminder that our responsibility extends beyond protecting animals’ habitats—we must also adapt our own practices to ensure the survival of all living beings in their vulnerability.
The piece “The Blanket Left Behind” explores Snoopy’s autonomy and the possibility of relationships not grounded in absolute devotion—a scenario equally applicable to human characters like Linus. Like every mammal, Snoopy expresses a free consciousness. Charlie Brown’s dog might one day follow one of his own “wild dreams,” leaving his friend behind. Yet, this idea of “other plans” reflects a universal truth: all bonds eventually face departure. From Linus’s perspective, the abandoned blanket resting on Snoopy’s roof speaks to the journey into adulthood.
This sense of loss—the absence of both Snoopy and Linus—evokes a deep emotional response, heightened through the lens of interspecies connection. Through the narrative and aesthetic dimension of these “coexistence sculptures,” the world of Snoopy and Woodstock becomes a powerful symbol of communication, care, and the shared path we walk—one that remains ever-changing, yet grounded in its unique tenderness.
#WhyLookatAnimals @emstathens
#Peanuts #Snoopy #Woodstock #Sculpture #InterspeciesCommunication #domesticity #animals #EMST #SnoopyOnTheRoof #Shelter #Migrations #RooftopTalks #ArchitectureForAnimals #kostisvelonis #rethinkingcare #GavinSteingo #φροντιδα #care
photo #melitininikolaidi
Why Look at Animals?
A Case for the Rights of Non-Human Lives is a major group exhibition that centres on animal rights and animal well-being, highlighting the need to recognise and defend the lives of non-human animals in an anthropocentric world that marginalises, oppresses and brutalises them. The exhibition is inspired by the seminal text of the same name by John Berger, “Why Look at Animals?” (1980), which explores the animal-human relationship in modernity and how animals have become marginalised in human societies. With the participation of more than 60 artists from four continents and with over 200 works occupying all the floors of the Museum, Why Look at Animals? is the largest exhibition ever organized by EMΣT and the first major exhibition on non-human animal rights internationally.The exhibition and public programme organised around it aim to raise awareness of the conditions of non-human animal life today - from the agricultural industry, the science lab and the business of entertainment, to the state of wildlife and animals subsisting in urban environments - asserting the personhood of animals as sentient beings, with unique intelligences of their own. Why Look at Animals? highlights the fact that the myriad species that exist alongside us are an integral part of our biosphere and ecosystems, not products and automata, separate from and subordinate to us. With this project EMΣT puts ecological justice and the rights of non-human life at the heart of its programming for the months to come. If humanity wants to engage with climate justice, biodiversity and environmental protection, non-human animals form an integral part of the discussion.
Τhe exhibition features a guest curated project, Sonic Space, consisting of a selection of audio works created by artists and researchers in fields such as zoomusicology and eco-acoustics, curated by Joanna Zielińska.
Ang Siew Ching I Art Orienté Objet (Marion Laval-Jeantet & Benoît Mangin) I Sammy Baloji I Elisabetta Benassi I John Berger I Rossella Biscotti I Kasper Bosmans I Xavi Bou INabil Boutros I David Brooks I Cheng Xinhao I David Claerbout I Marcus Coates I Sue Coe I Simona Denicolai & Ivo Provoost I Mike Dibb & Chris Rawlence I Mark Dion I Radha D’Souza I Maarten Vanden Eynde I Jakup Ferri I Alexandros Georgiou I Igor Grubić I Gustafsson & Haapoja I Joseph Havel I Lynn Hershman Leeson I Annika Kahrs I Menelaos Karamaghiolis I Anne Marie Maes I Britta Marakatt-Labba I Nikos Markou I Angelos Merges I Wesley Meuris I Tiziana Pers I Paris Petridis I Janis Rafa I Rainio & Roberts I Marta Roberti I Mostafa Saifi Rahmouni I Lin May Saeed I Panos Sklavenitis I Sonic Space I Jonas Staal I Daniel Steegmann Mangrané I Oussama Tabti I Emma Talbot I Nikos Tranos I Maria Tsagkari I Dimitris Tsoumplekas I Euripides Vavouris I Kostis Velonis I Driant Zeneli
The exhibition is curated by Katerina Gregos, Artistic Director ΕΜΣΤ
