Birds of a Feather is an interactive, large-scale outdoor book sculpture that reimagines my recent photography book. Inspired by the large scale of Audubon’s Elephant Folio, the work takes the familiar intimacy of a book and expands it into an unexpected scaled object designed for collective engagement.
The book’s pages would replicate the design of the book featuring photographs from the series, Birds of a Feather, portraits of live birds, set against opulent, historically inspired backdrops that refer to the decorative traditions of past centuries. This interplay of subject and setting invites reflection on themes of beauty, domestication, and the human impulse to collect and categorize the natural world. Color photographs and historical quotations weave a layered narrative that connects ornithology, art history, and ethical questions surrounding human-animal relationships. Drawing from traditions of scientific illustration and Victorian wallpaper, Birds of a Feather acknowledges both the admiration and the unintended consequences of human fascination. Installed outdoors, the images are returned to the environment from which their subjects originate, creating a conceptual loop between interior and exterior, containment and freedom.
Viewers are invited to approach, linger, and physically turn the oversized pages, encountering both images and accompanying texts drawn from the book’s essays. The act of page turning slows the experience, offering an alternative to viewing wall mounted photographs. This format allows for a wide range of engagement, from casual curiosity to deeper reflection, and is accessible across age groups, backgrounds, and levels of familiarity with photography or conservation discourse.
The portraits—whether of stoic falcons, rosy hued flamingos, or backyard chickens—highlight the individuality of each bird, revealing personalities as vivid as their plumage. The book ultimately asks: As we admire what nature has inspired in art, what might art do for nature in return?
Artist Bios
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Claire Rosen
Claire Rosen is an award-winning, internationally exhibited and collected artist whose elaborate constructions often feature animals or still-life which are evocative of classical European paintings. Though the work is rooted in traditional aesthetics, it is intended to create dialogue around contemporary issues such as the need for environmental conservation. The transportive images captivate with a fascination of the natural world. Claire was twice named to Forbes “30 under 30” for Art & Design and her work has been featured in Communication Arts, The Guardian, Harper’s Magazine, NPR, National Geographic, Refinery29, Smithsonian Magazine, and The Washington Post. Claire speaks about the creative process around the world and her book, IMAGINARIUM: The Process Behind the Pictures, covers the artistic practice of photography. Claire is a Fujifilm creator. She graduated from the Savannah College of Art and Design in 2006 and Bard College at Simon’s Rock in 2003. Claire is currently restoring the historic Warwick Furnace Farm with her family in rural Chester County, PA cultivating Certified Naturally Grown lavender, crafting natural artisan lavender products and building an artistic program around the intersection of art, history, and nature.
Organizations
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Photoville
Founded in 2011 in Brooklyn, NY, Photoville was built on the principles of addressing cultural equity and inclusion, which we are always striving for, by ensuring that the artists we exhibit are diverse in gender, class, and race.
In pursuit of its mission, Photoville produces an annual, city-wide open air photography festival in New York City, a wide range of free educational community initiatives, and a nationwide program of public art exhibitions.
By activating public spaces, amplifying visual storytellers, and creating unique and highly innovative exhibition and programming environments, we join the cause of nurturing a new lens of representation.
Through creative partnerships with festivals, city agencies, and other nonprofit organizations, Photoville offers visual storytellers, educators, and students financial support, mentorship, and promotional & production resources, on a range of exhibition opportunities.
For more information about Photoville visit, www.photoville.com
Birds of a Feather
Featuring: Claire Rosen
Locations
View Location Details Download a detailed map of this location Brooklyn Bridge Park – Emily Warren Roebling Plaza1 Water St
Brooklyn, NY 11201
This location is part of Brooklyn Bridge Park
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The views and opinions expressed in this exhibit are those of the exhibition artists and partners and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of Photoville or any other participants and partners of the Photoville Festival.
Book Edit was in collaboration with Beth Taubner of Mercury Lab
