Description

Bower is a series of architectural fragments that frame the surrounding landscape and host bird nesting boxes for various species. The project also features custom-designed glass ‘windows,’ each with an image that performs as a visual interference pattern for birds, drawing attention to the perils of bird-strike window collisions. Layered upon the fragments are a collection of bird nesting boxes for various species.

The outlines of the structures emulate the vernacular architecture of the Lewiston area but could be stand-ins for homes almost anywhere in the country. These fragments, invite the viewer to imagine what has been forgotten, or lost, or what might be created in the future.

The imbedded birdhouses (or nesting boxes) are designed to accommodate a variety of local bird species – including chickadees, wrens, flycatchers, nuthatches, bluebirds, and purple martins. They are attached to the structure, in an arrangement that have taken into account environmental factors which effect bird nesting and habitability.

The window images are created from drawings that depict local species of birds that have come to prefer human-made structures to nest in. Some, like the purple martin, make an annual journey of 3000 miles from North America to Latin America and back again. The surface of the window is overlaid with a grid of dots, a pattern which prevents birds from colliding with the pane of glass.