ART IS 4 THE BIRDS
By Diane Wood
Call for participation in Bird Art installation
Dutch artist Ed Hanssen started a worldwide art project on the internet with over 300 artists from 32 countries, so far. To participate you must register online by September 30th. Relationships between artists, a dialogue about art and a reverence for nature are at the core of this unique project. You can follow it on Twitter: # BirdArt2012. More information is available at www.projectmailartbooks.comunder “other projects”.
drawing by Elbo
Stage 1: Register online. Send an email to edhanssen@gmail.com or register through Facebook: at “Bird Art Installation Project”
Stage 2. Create a three dimensional bird approximately 2 feet long. The project allows participants to work alone or in groups, under the umbrella of a global art installation. Photograph your bird in a tree or natural environment and send this photo to Ed Hanssen / Facebook. For those of you who don’t have a camera or the technical know-how, local photographer Gena Thompson will help you. Contact her at leonasha@gmail.com
Installation Art is in itself political because it’s not in a frame hanging on a (gallery) wall. The term Installation Art first came into use in the 60’s, because it was a departure from traditional sculpture. You could make an imaginary bird, the “Blue Bird of Happiness”, or one that represents yourself, or our community. You could use flamboyant, bright feathers, or rusty metal and city garbage – an Urban Eagle out of sardine cans! Bill Thompson, who’s organizing the lower mainland artists in this project, sculpted an eagle out of recycled license plates. We could speak to our need for housing by making nests out of rubble from condo construction sites, garbage, shredded poetry or newspaper stories – or a homeless bird who sleeps on cardboard instead of a nest! What does a civilly disobedient bird look like?
Stage 3: “Worldwide Bird Art Installation Day” – On Sunday October 7th 2012, all participants will display their Art Birds in a forest or park. The installations will be filmed worldwide and uploaded to Youtube. Burnaby artist Bill Thomson will host an Art Bird Installation at Deer Lake Park in Burnaby, inviting all local artists to participate. Contact Bill wmthomson@shaw.ca. He has a history of working collaboratively with non-mainstream artists. We could create a DTES display some place closer to home, like Oppenheimer Park.
Stage: 4: At the end of “Worldwide Bird Art Installation Day”, your Bird memorabilia, images, poems, stories or feathers can be exchanged between artists in the park.
Thank you very much for spreading the BIRDword!!!
Thanks for the promotion of the event Diane! Your install sounds great! Look forward to seeing the photos! Are you leaving yours up post Oct.7Th?
(ps It is Thomson not Thompson). Have Fun!