Liz Lockyear:

'Bird recycled'

In Exeter cathedral there is a thirteenth century carving of an elephant which has extra ears and cloven feet carved from a description of an animal believed to have been given to King Henry lll by King Louis IX of France. The story of how the carving was made is not clear but it is thought that the artisan had to rely on word of mouth as he was unable to see the elephant or detailed drawings for himself.

'Bird recycled' is a mix of realism, imagination and unfortunately the lifelessness that comes from being unable to capture the energy and spirit of a bird, a manmade object, trapped amongst the trees, without the ability to soar into the sky or float on an air current.

Due to pollution and diminishing habitat there could be a time when a bird is a rarity and we will have to rely once again on word of mouth, books or a virtual world to keep the memory alive. If this was ever to become reality for the bird the chances are that our habitat would have become restricted and we too would only have a distant memory of breathing fresh air or swimming in the ocean.

How would we explain the freedom of movement and the pleasure of the natural world to those that might never see it?

Media
Textile made from an old marquee, re-used tensioned cable and found materials
First flew in a slightly different form at Haldon Forest in 2006

New Shoots
Metal Sculpture