Performance at Regina Farmers' Market highlights human animal relationships

The Regina Farmers' Market featured a different kind of performance on Saturday. (Luke Simard / CTV News)

The Regina Farmers’ Market had an atmosphere like no other Saturday morning with folk music blaring from the main stage.

The music was part of an artistic performance by local artist Bill Burns, titled ‘The Salt, the Milk, the Donkey, the Honey, the Folk Singers.’

The performance considered humans relationship to animals and is part of the ongoing series about global trade and food production.

“It's a burden to think of animals and nature and I think of the farm animal as a kind of something between species for us to learn about animals,” said Burns.

In addition to the music, the performance consisted of a parade around Victoria Park with goats, a donkey and a local beekeeper.

The combination of products were then mixed together, including milking a goat and creating some fresh homey from a local beehive, before parading around the park one last time.

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The performance was curated by the Dunlop Art Gallery and organizers said there are many benefits to having the performance outside of the gallery.

“It really makes sense to do it in a context like this with the Farmers’ Market and understanding our relationship to food and food production in this context,” said Tomas Jonsson, one of the Dunlop Art Gallery curators.

Beekeeper and artist Jeff Meldrum was also part of the performance. He agreed with Jonsson and said having the art outside can be less intimidating for everyone involved.

“Before I became an artist, I was intimidated by the gallery setting and so this is just a more accessible way to bring arts out to the community,” said Meldrum.

Meldrum supplied the final product in the performance, which was honey. He said bees and humans have a unique relationship.

“I kind of see beekeeping as sort of symbiotic relationship where both the bees and the humans are benefiting,” said Meldrum.

Meldrum added the honey symbolizes how economists can come in many forms.

“The honey comes last and it's part of this sort of the trading and the demonstration,” said Meldrum. “Always kind of showing you how economists can maybe be a bit simpler than they are.”

Many young children were in attendance, which was an encouraging sign for Burns.

“I think we need engagement to be part of the solution to these problems,” he said.

Burns added he hopes people who attended will consider the environment and their relationships to animals.