Birds Egg And Nests
Birds Egg and nests
I was invited by the Museum in the Park, Stroud to work with the hidden collections in their storerooms. The result was ‘Into the Light,’ an exhibition by insight artists, a group of printmakers who exhibit together regularly.
In the museum I found a nest made from lace and ribbon. I wanted to unravel it, and the story behind it. In the archives, I looked for anything to do with birds. There were nests, and row upon row of boxes of eggs, small and large, patterned and plain, all perfect. I could not stop opening the boxes, marveling at their colour, shape, size, markings, fragility, and strength. And then I saw the Data Collection of Birds Eggs listing in beautiful script, almost two hundred entries detailing eggs taken from nests, dating from the 1870’s.
These artefacts inspired the creation of my installation featuring eggshell prints, Perspex nests and eggs, and bird sounds.
The installation consists of:
Eggshell blend prints 1 – 9, that merge photographic images from the shells of different birds.
Blended bird songs, original musical pieces especially composed to accompany eggshell blends.
Missing Egg I – III, laminated Perspex nests with egg shaped holes that correspond to each bird species.
Audio devices that contain the bird song to match each nest.
Bird call instruments that viewers can use to make the call or song of Song thrush, House sparrow and Robin.
Nest eggs, perspex eggs, within each was a pattern of nest materials etc
40 Birds Eggs.
Selected prints and cards from my clover work are for sale in my online shop
Reviews from the comments book:
Utterly delightful
Hidden gems have been re-interpreted
The museums dusty treasures have been used to inspire great pieces of work.
Archived artifacts and Hidden treasures have resulted in an imaginative and diverse contemporary resource.
With thanks to the Museum in the Park, Stroud, and Bristol Museum for enabling me to photograph nests and eggs from their stores.
