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nest series

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In this series, nests are housed in a variety of sculptural/architectural constructions. Most have delicate frames made of stripped saplings, lashed together with sinew or string, and clothed in a variety of sumptuous fabrics and/or materials. Some of the fabrics are pierced or fastened with the same small, double pointed sticks used in the scar series, or adorned with ribbons, hide, or other culturally, symbolically or aesthetically significant material. In others, the fabric is left as it is, emphasizing its color, texture, or pattern. Intense or soft hues are employed for painterly effect.

The fabric of some works are sewn to gently drape the frameworks, while on others the fabric is stretched taught around the frame. This accentuates the sensual, organic quality in the architecture of the frameworks. In this case, the hard square is softened - mirroring a desire to soften the culture of the city block by imbuing it with some of the give and flow of the natural world.

The stick frames are strongly reminiscent of the burial platforms used in the past by some plains peoples. In this respect they allude to passage into and relationship with the spirit world. The ‘nests’, containing toy or metal balls, marbles, or actual eggs, rest within these structures. In addition to being aesthetically intriguing objects, these orbs and ovoids symbolize birth within a place associated with death. These ‘soft architectures’ playful icons of the continuous cycles of life and death. The balls also bring to mind the playfulness of a child - and how this relates to creativity and spirituality. Their roundness also represents the circle so central to Indigenous worldview.

In the interest of protecting work in vulnerable stages of development, I now keep my newest pieces on a private page until they, and/or other closely related works, have been seen in public venues and/or by my peers in a public context, so that there is a public record of the production & timeline of signature elements and artworks in my practice.

To see new sculpture, interested curators, collectors or other arts professionals may contact me to request access to this webpage at Winter at Winter-Brown dot com.

Hiy hiy,
Bebonkwe ᐱᐳᐣ