distilled lifes, 2009
Distilled Lifes is a series of constructions presenting strange interactions between ceramic birds and manmade environments. These improbable scenarios are an exploration of how this popular symbol of nature is mass-produced, reproduced, consumed and ultimately discarded. I work by compiling groups of images and artifacts and combining the separate elements to form a tableau that becomes a part of a bigger theme or story. The birds are all found objects, victims of our disposable society. The background collages are mined from old anatomy books and how-to taxidermy manuals while the theater sets are made from toy packaging and cutout books. I compose all the pieces in an old built-in cabinet which provides a boxed boundary. The Distilled Lifes series represents a collision of perceptions about the way that nature and wildlife have been reduced to a commodity in the form of a curio or trinket. I find birds an especially powerful symbol of nature because they evoke flight, freedom and fear.
