La Danse des Oiseaux (Dance of Birds)
is a breathtaking collaboration with work
from George Marks and Lisa di Stefano
at the Claire Elizabeth Gallery in New Orleans.
I know this because I am friends with Marks on
Facebook, which is the easiest way I know
to access a human rolodex.
Back to the bird show...
A longtime fan of Marks' work, when I see
his new creations I'm kind of all...
ya know?
So I dug deeper into the
exhibition with DiStefano
and found these details from
Claire Elizabeth.
La Danse des Oiseaux explores the creative relationship
between bowerbirds, who collect brightly colored
objects to build nests, and artists,
whose process involves the assemblage
of colors, textures and forms
to create works of art.
ooh la la, j'aime ca!
George Marks says of his mixed media pieces,
"Individual pieces are inspired by farm produce my mom and her family worked with when she was a child. The act of growing, gathering and processing while speaking French. The act of creating nests of memories. The act of survival."
Googledom revealed fascinating facts about
dating and the bowerbird:
Males create optical illusions to appeal
to mates, arranging objects in the
"bower's court area" from smallest to largest.
This creates a forced perspective
to hold the attention of the female for longer!
Sounds like bower power-swagger, oui?
BUT. WAIT.
Research shows that males are sensitive
to signals of discomfort from females
during courtship and will reduce
the intensity of what could
potentially threaten the
courtship.
Ha!
Who is ready to roadtrip to New Orleans
to see the work inspired by these complex
creatures in person?
I'll bring the skittles and will probably behave.
Probably.
Learn more at the gallery here.
LA DANSE DES OISEAUX/DANCE OF BIRDS:
Works by Lisa di Stefano & George Marks
Sept. 29th – Nov. 24th, 2016
Opening Reception: Saturday, Oct. 1, 5-8pm
Peace to you right where you are.
