Plate Number 677. Goat; walking, in sulky 1887

Eadweard Muybridge created this photographic study of a goat in motion to dissect and understand movement, a pursuit that has captured artists' imaginations for centuries. The goat, pulling a sulky, is fragmented into moments, freezing the animal's stride. Consider the goat itself, a creature of varied symbolism throughout history. In some cultures, it represents fertility and vitality, while in others, it's associated with wildness or even the demonic. Think of Pan, the Greek god, half-man, half-goat, embodying nature's untamed aspects. The goat has appeared in countless guises, from sacrificial animal to a symbol of virility. Here, Muybridge strips away the symbolic baggage, focusing instead on pure mechanics. Yet, the cultural echoes remain. The attempt to capture and dissect nature reveals a deeper, primal desire to understand and control the world around us, a desire that is as ancient as humanity itself.