Nests
2021
I am fascinated by nests,
fascinated by the process of gathering bits of the world
to create a space,
intricate and protected,
in which new life can be incubated, nurtured, taught to fly.
Our human form, physical and emotional, resembles a nest.
What are we but bits of mud and fibers,
gathered over time, carefully layered,
as we continually take shape in the world?
And how is it that we create a space for new life to be born within us?
What makes it possible for us to cultivate new perspectives?
How do we piece together a shelter for the imaginative,
experimental, vulnerable
to develop slowly deep within us?
It is a skill we must learn and practice,
again and again,
in every season of life.
The materials used for a nest depend on the bird and the environment.
Each nest referenced in this series belongs to a particular bird who builds primarily with mud.
Swallow. Red Ovenbird. Apostlebird.
Each nest can easily take a month for a pair of birds to build.
Similarly, each work in this series is made of clay slip and paper,
built up piece by piece, layer by layer.
All while I was asking myself,
If we create this sacred space, what surfaces and resurfaces?