On Closer Examination
Public space intervention, 9 renderings on truck canvas cover
2024
“On Closer Examination” reveals various moments in the breathing of a bird, captured in profile. The bird’s iridescent plumage shimmers and refracts light in hues of green, gray, black, and predominantly blue.
There is no such thing as a blue bird, just as there is no such movement or breathing in these images: the CGI renderings are the result of my research at the Salton Sea in California. Once created by the accidental breach of a water pipe, this site has devolved into an ecological catastrophe, marked by toxic bacteria, pestilence, and the pulverized bones of birds. The birds remain present at the Salton Sea, but their voices have gradually fallen silent.