It all started with a crow and a hanger…
I came across an unusual nest one day; it was in a city setting, in a tall tree that intertwined with an old wire fence. The bright blue and white color of the nest snared my attention. It had been made almost entirely of old clothes hangers. I later learned that urban crows often build their homes from such discarded objects; using them for both nest building and tool fashioning.
These particular hangers had been repurposed as cradles for a new generation of baby birds. The nest itself mirrored the universal continuation of life. The inorganic, organic, and the cosmic are thus in a delicate balancing act as part of the life cycle displayed through the crows and their ersatz dwellings. The eggs themselves are metaphors for potential, and the microcosm of the nest, their home, an echo of the deeper time and elements of the universe. I made this series as a part of a collective human need to reflect upon and understand the pivotal moments of creation and destruction.
My research into the lore and behavior of crows and ravens, and my art making processes, have lead me to explore the possible imagery within this context. The subject and content of the body of work is based around the crow, as a stand-in for the intangible idea of life, while the hanger serves as the memento mori the reminder of death and impermanence of one’s self.
