Imitation Bird Houses

These are a set of four ceramic birdhouses, each crocheted together with yarn. They are inspired by multiple kinds of animals—Australian leaf cutter ants, tit birds (the size it’s intended for), and bower birds.

Leaf cutter ants create nests, effectively “sewing” together leaves to make a hollow form. Some kinds of tits (who wouldn’t use human made bird houses) make nests in a similar form to what I’ve made, so hopefully it is enticing to other kinds of tit birds who do use human made birdhouses. Bower birds are famously known to collect trinkets and make intricate stick nests to impress mates.

I think birds must have some sense of aesthetic value, as each breed uses art and beauty in one way or another to impress others, and I tried to capture their values in a birdhouse they might live in, placing bird aesthetics before human aesthetics. I viewed the process of making it as a way of placing myself in a bird’s mind, picking trinkets both I like and a bower bird may pick.