In collaboration with Jennie Suddick

Wood, paint, sheer fabric, pine cone bird seed ornaments, UV light installation

240" x 72" x 74"

In/Future: a transformative art experience; in partnership with Art Spin, Ontario Place, Toronto

A project partnership with Jennie Suddick, Kuckucksuhr is an architectural intervention that transforms the watchtower of Ontario Place’s Wilderness Adventure log ride into a cuckoo clock. Using seeds and light to beckon migratory bird, mammal, and moth species to the installation, the work reimagines the passage of time in natural terms—rather than a robotic cuckoo, the migratory species that move through and feed off the structure come to represent hourly cycles and the passage of seasonal time. Conceived as a critique of human conceptions of progress, Kuckucksuhr questions the human-made nature-scape of Ontario Place, reflecting on the desire to harness, subjugate, and represent nature. Re-signifying the watchtower as a space of natural transition and reclamation, Kuckucksuhr creates an opportunity for complex natural patterns of life to surface in an otherwise artificial environment.

The daytime function of the piece attracts mammals and birds with edible pine cone ornaments. Squirrels, raccoons, skunks, jays, and woodpeckers were the primary daylight visitors.

During evening hours, UV lights illuminated the structures to attract insect species. Species of moths common to the late summer cycle were commonly observed.

Edible pine cones were refreshed on alternate days to keep the piece active.

Kuckucksuhr was erected just prior to the annual blue jay migration along the shoreline in Ontario. On the final days of the exhibition, large flocks of jays were present to harvest food from the work. Photograph captured from inside the large watch

It was anticipated that various species would claim the work for themselves. Squirrels and raccoons tore through the silk linings in search of foodstuffs stored within, while various birds and mammals ravaged edible materials across the work's facad

prev / next

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15

· · · · · · · · · · · · · · ·