‘Herd Around the World’ at SBCAST

The high-speed collision of digital photography and social media has ushered in a new era of image making. In a world where to take a picture has become nearly as common as to take a breath, how do you raise the level of the global image conversation? In Herd Around the World, the multimedia collaborative exhibition initiated by RT Livingston and on view at SBCAST through November 27, the answer is to order your photos “animal style.”

Armed with six small plastic animals, the artist and her fellow herders have created a stunning array of images shot round the world and featuring these miniature figures skillfully placed in a mind-bending array of contexts. At the SBCAST show, in addition to literally hundreds of often hilarious, always stimulating photos, there are paintings — self-portraits of the animals, “assisted” by Livingston — and, on one recent night, a series of witty animal-related pronouncements and videos projected high on the walls of the SBCAST courtyard. The 60 or so artists involved include many familiar names from the Santa Barbara art scene, along with distinguished international friends of this mobile global farm. Catch the herd before it moves on to fresh pastures; you may like it so much you oink.