Friday, June 10, 2022 – WHAT A GREAT IDEA, FREE HOUSING FOR THE BIRDS
FROM THE ARCHIVES
698th Edition
The Brooklyn Botanic Garden
The Brooklyn Botanic Garden
Artist-made birdhouses
will be installed throughout the Garden
as part of
For the Birds
opening on Saturday, June 11
BIRDHOUSES
For the Birds is centered around a Garden-wide outdoor exhibition of dozens of site-specific birdhouses created by artists of international renown. Inspired by bird species in residence at Brooklyn Botanic Garden, each birdhouse provides an opportunity to learn more about birds and their habitats through the eyes of artists working with a variety of materials and points of view.
Fly South birdhouse on location at Brooklyn Botanic Garden. Concept art by Germane Barnes.
With playful geometries referencing South Florida’s art deco architecture, Fly South is a nod to the migration patterns of northern birds that often find themselves in sunny Florida during the winter months. Research and design practice Studio Barnes was particularly inspired by the northern cardinal, reflected in the birdhouse’s color palette of reds and pinks.
Forest of Spaces birdhouse on location at Brooklyn Botanic Garden. Concept art by Tatiana Bilbao ESTUDIO.
Tatiana Bilbao ESTUDIO’s Forest of Spaces is inspired by the relation between fauna, flora, humans, and architecture, what they describe as “a coexistence and cohabitation on equal terms.” Made from steel and terrazzo, five birdhouses establish a “neighborhood” of architecture and nature. Each individual birdhouse offers viewers opposing spatial qualities: enclosed/visible, grounded/exposed, introverted/open, loud/quiet, and connective/protective.
Pal’ campo birdhouse on location at Brooklyn Botanic Garden. Concept image courtesy of Kevin Quiles Bonilla.
Spanish for “to the field,” Pal’ campo is a re-creation of Kevin Quiles Bonilla’s grandmother’s home in the countryside of Puerto Rico. Recreating a mosaic of small rocks and pebbles, the wallpaper covering the birdhouse mimics the pattern of the floor tiles within his childhood home. “I was interested in the idea of birds and humans as migratory beings,” Quiles Bonilla says, “the memories we keep during our travels and the notion of what home is to those who move from one place to another.”
A Flock Without a Murder birdhouse on location at Brooklyn Botanic Garden. Concept art by Jimenez Lai.
A Flock Without a Murder rethinks the relationship between crows and scarecrows—what is seen by one bird species as a warning can be seen by others as a safe haven. This birdhouse, standing 12 feet tall, towers over the human viewer. “The scarecrow is a structure that allows us to talk to other species, like crows,” says artist Jimenez Lai. “It’s a conversation between humans and nonhumans.”
Blue Heron Triangle birdhouse on location at Brooklyn Botanic Garden.
Artists Chen Chen and Kai Williams created this piece to provide a fishing platform for the great blue herons who frequent the Japanese Hill-and-Pond Garden. They reused plastic cartons from their studio, to reduce the waste produced from the creation of the work, topped with silk flags that invoke plastic bags. “We often use plastic bags for their graphics in our practice and want to separate the graphics, which are beautiful, from the trash the bag creates,” they say.
A Home for Flickers birdhouse on location at Brooklyn Botanic Garden. Concept art by Jessica Maffia.
During lockdown, artist Jessica Maffia experienced her first spring bird migration. A Home for Flickers, a birdhouse made of Douglas fir and cement shaped in the form of her gently cupped hands, was inspired by Maffia’s desire to offer these birds sanctuary. “Birds remind us of the wild that persists here,” Maffia says. “It is our responsibility to create spaces for our more-than-human neighbors to thrive.”
For images of the birdhouses and associated programs please see:
https://www.bbg.org/forthebirds
FRIDAY PHOTO OF THE DAY
For years a lamppost was located in the middle of the sidewalk at the Octagon bus stop. With some encouragement, it has finally been moved off the pedestrian path. Now there is a clear path for all who use the sidewalk.
Is there a pedestrian impediment that you see, send it to us.
THURSDAY PHOTO OF THE DAY
Council Synagogue served the Jewish residents of the City Home from the 1920’s to 1952. Located near where Island house now stands.
Ed Litcher got It!
All image are copyrighted (c) Roosevelt Island
Historical Society unless otherwise indicated:
Sources
https://www.bbg.org/forthebirds
BROOKLYN BOTANIC GARDEN
RIHS (C) FUNDING PROVIDED BY ROOSEVELT ISLAND OPERATING CORPORATION PUBLIC PURPOSE GRANTS CITY COUNCIL REPRESENTATIVE BEN KALLOS DISCRETIONARY FUNDING THRU DYCD
Copyright © 2022 Roosevelt Island Historical Society, All rights reserved.Our mailing address is:
rooseveltislandhistory@gmail.com
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