I sculpted the legs for this bird in plasticine clay, then made molds of the legs and cast them in Forton MG. Then, building up transparent layers of paint, I attempted to mimic my own skin tone on the surface of the legs.
The feathers were inserted one by one into a hard foam taxidermy form for an ostrich. Many people (including my mom) helped in this process.
The branches were taken from a wooded site that is soon to be cleared for a housing development. White flocking gives them a frosty look. For a few years now, I've had a vision of a giant, faceless, standing bird. It made sense to me to create this creature for Fort Adams because its muteness expresses the idea of things lurking beneath the surface, muffled by layers of time (or feathers), repressed but still present. The field of branches further insulates the bird – paralyzed by its own nesting behavior, it is caught in a fine web of twiggy tendrils.
Is it fearfully hiding its head in its feathers? Or is it inherently deaf and dumb? This oversized prize calmly awaits its hunter in a dormant forest. It does not struggle to be free. It simply bears blind witness, blankly returning our gaze.
Across the gap, the tree stretches to reach the bird, but the connection is not made.