Richmond BC, Canada #richmondartgallerybc
Incarnation is a photographic project which places birds in a fabricated reality where they occupy a theatrical setting that is far removed from their natural environment. My choice of birds as subject is not to observe them but to use them to convey meaning. They operate both as the subject of the pictures and as objects in the pictures. The presentation, fashioned as a traditional still life, suggests the domination (and preservation) of nature. The freedom that birds typically symbolize is lost in this context.
Multiple meanings are created through the birds dual role of subject and object. There is a reminder that death awaits and that life is temporal. Yet, with human intervention the birds are resurrected to mimic their former selves. A suggestion of humankind’s domination (and preservation) of nature is implied through their new state of presentation.
The images are influenced by Dutch paintings of the 15th and 16th century. Drapery plays an important role as an indicator of the contrived space and as a suggestion of our distance from the experience of nature. The mounted birds are displayed sitting among other artifacts which are also merely objects. This element further suggests that the viewer is unable to experience nature naturally.
