BYE BYE BIRDIES

installation of: lasercut/painted/embroidered, true to size birds · stuffed painted canvas · oil on canvas · lasercut wood
2019–ongoing

ARTIST STATEMENT (click here for extended version)
I grew up surrounded by nature and inspired by singing birds. I cannot imagine how quiet the world would be if they were gone and no longer in our backyards. Bye Bye Birdies is an immersive graph installation that explores how bird populations have decreased over the last 3 decades, will continue to do so with climate change, and what can be done to help. Painted, embroidered, and lasercut birds are made true to size of the species and placed on the wall to depict data on how threatened they will be if global average temperatures raise 3ºC. None of the birds are flying or have feet since they do not have control of their fate; only we do.

This project is tailored to the state it is exhibited in, showcasing birds that locals might be familiar with. An homage is made to the Passenger Pigeon which was once the most abundant bird in the Americas that became extinct due to human disruption—foreshadowing how our favorite birds we see today might only live in taxidermy form tomorrow if action is not swiftly taken.