David Shrigley: Goat Music

Goat Music is the documentation for David Shrigley’s (born 1968) film Laughterhouse, about goats whose cries sound like humans. Contrasting the limits of comedy with the unlimited appetite of goats, this limited artist’s edition is a prime example of Shrigley’s biting humor.

Comprising a picture disc and an artist’s book, and published in a limited edition of 1,000, Goat Music includes recordings of the goats in the film as well as the soundtrack Shrigley composed to accompany the opening performance in Hydra. Shrigley’s project for DESTE’s renovated former slaughterhouse was a funny film shown in a historically unfunny place. Shrigley noted that although he also filmed goats in Malta, the goats in Scotland seem to be much happier and thus funnier because they are not used for meat production.