by Francesca Cook, Bitesize Epiphanies
Mothers Milk is the first in a series of short animations that challenge the almost universally accepted beliefs driving us to the brink of extinction. Beliefs that cause harm to people, our planet and animals.
Created by Bitesize Epiphanies, this first animation highlights the suffering of mother and baby in the dairy industry – and the real costs involved. Bringing together the spoken word with a poignant musical score, the purpose is to evoke empathy, compassion – and inspire positive action.
Co-founder Geoff Francis said, “I have always felt that the role of an artist is to get people to see things differently. We provide people with a different way of looking at the world, to open their eyes and hearts.
“That is what we are trying to do here, by combining all of our talents. It has always seemed to me that the stealing of a child is the most heinous of crimes, yet this occurs daily in the dairy industry.”
WARNING: graphic language
Cows show remarkable intelligence, cognitive abilities, emotional capacity – and a strong maternal bond. Yet standard dairy industry practice is to separate calves within 24 hours of birth. Many newborns are slaughtered as a ‘useless by-product’ of an industry that sees animals as mere products to be used for profit. This opens the door to abuse and cruelty.
Francesca Cook, Co-Founder, says, “This issue doesn’t happen in just one place, it’s a global problem. We’re hoping to reach the hearts of people far and wide so they think before they buy.”
Bitesize Epiphanies is a non-profit collaboration of artists and activists who have come together to use their artistic skill set to be a voice for humanity, animals and the planet. Growing organically from an initial short-term project, the four co-founders realised their ideas and mission were exponential and the scope for potential collaborative opportunities was huge.
Currently, Bitesize Epiphanies are building a network of compassionate educators to utilise their future content in their campaigns. The company have big ambitions and have started planning their next project, taking an analytical approach to improve their production process and tweak their campaigning strategy, to make the greatest positive impact possible.