bird or plane?
series of 16 prints. gouache, acrylic, pencil, ink, collage and inkjet on paper. 10 x 13”

Bird or Plane? originated from my fascination with military weapons and vehicles of destruction which bear the names of carnivorous mammals, birds of prey, and pesky insects. The symbolic meaning of these names is curious. While the animals’ violent or pesky ways are necessary for their immediate survival, our manmade counterparts use their strength, speed, and weaponry to hunt and kill- or at least intimidate- other humans. The collaged text is excerpted from an article discussing the business of Air Force bases & civilian airports hiring falconers to rid the surrounding airspace of ‘unwanted birds’. I’m struck by the absurdity & irony of this idea that migratory birds- flying in their instinctive and centuries-old paths- are now deemed a nuisance simply because we have conjured a way to use their space.

*“Clearing The Runway, Nature's Way; Base Employs Birds of Prey To Fight Birds of Nuisance” (Tina Kelley, New York Times, February 25, 2005).