Above: Installation view towards the east wall

ARTIST STATEMENT:

In the 1970’s, while a post-baccalaureate student in comparative anthropology at Wayne State University, I worked as a data researcher for New Guinea Papio papio baboons at the Detroit Zoo. When I began my photographic studies in 1976, my pursuits of analysis through scientific observation continued with film, a new tool for understanding the world we live in. Unlike previous works, “Timing Birds,” required long waiting, and watching for the best interactive moments of flight, silence, and stillness. Quick decisions were key to my engaging as quietly as possible, projecting future behaviors that could be simple or complex, framed in milliseconds. A quiet meditation began while looking through my viewfinder, with hierarchy, age, and size playing significant roles in the birds’ power struggles necessary for their survival. The birds took over each other’s eating spots, interacted with each other through arguments, and had mating rituals. 

Birds are pivotal to our ecosystem, crucial for our planet’s survival and for our own, giving us clues on climate change through migration patterns. Their behaviors give scientists imperative warning data that help determine preparations for natural disasters. If current trends in climate change continue, two-thirds (1,372) of the 2,059 bird species in North America will be extinct by 2100. 

This work is meant to give the viewer bird visibility in our atmosphere, helping us pay attention to them when walking outdoors at all times. These local birds are still my friends, keeping me company all year long. Seeing young finches become excited about a new place to eat is always inspiring to see, bringing me into their world and their need to continue in our world.

Backyard restaurant name: Eleftheria’s Fine Bird Eats.
Reservations not required.