Road Kill
Like many of my other
artworks, these photographs explore the fragility of life. The series began in April 2009, when I first
noticed a cardinal who had been hit by a car.
I was taken with both the brilliance of color and a sense of sadness
that the cardinal lost its life.
I have since begun a
series of photographs documenting songbirds that have been hit by cars. Why songbirds? Because they are not near so resilient as
many other animals and so rarely recover from injuries sustained after being
struck by cars or falling great distances from their nests. Male songbirds are often vibrantly colored and
draw attention to themselves, bringing into question how they are still at risk
from automobile traffic as they are much more vibrant and easier to spot. Also, songbirds are adored by many people and
are often more welcome in our backyards than the squirrels and rabbits that eat
our manicured landscaping or the pigeons, starlings and other birds that many
perceive of as a nuisance or as disease-ridden pests. Thus, I think that these photographs of
songbirds will connect with a much larger audience than photographs of other
animals struck by cars, although I may begin documenting other animals in order
to make others aware of their losses as well.
As this series grows
and evolves, I have begun to further ponder how we humans come into so many
conflicts with the natural world and the losses that the environment has
sustained from our practices. By showing these photographs, I hope to get
others thinking about their effects on the ecosystem and its inhabitants as
well.
Although the series began with songbirds struck by cars, it has evolved through this blog to include all types of birds found in the road or on the sidewalk, most of which still likely came into conflict with cars but also including others that may have been preyed upon by other animals or fallen to illness or age.
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