Bird’s Nest Berlin (2002)

This documentation is from the first exhibition of our Bird’s Nest piece in Berlin: Klosterstrasse / Berlin, sculpture and installations at Franziskaner-Klosterkirche in Berlin from August 29 - October 19 2002. This exhibition is situated in the center of Berlin, near Alexanderplatz. Franziskaner-Klosterkirche is originally a Franciscan monastery church, whose oldest sections were built in the 13th century. In 1945 the church was severely damaged in air raids. The ruins of the church have been preserved as a park and since 1987 the roofless monastery church and its surroundings have been used as an exhibition space. After the Fall of the Berlin Wall, since 1992, the cultural activities have been organized by a supporting association, Förderverein Klosterruine e.V.

Our collaborative installation combines sculptural elements with multiple channel sound. The bird’s nest that we constructed is large enough for people to enter into and sit.This bird’s nest is placed in what remains of the altar of the church. The soundscape I constructed is made up of environmental sounds, early organum such as would have been heard in the monastery (Perotin and Leonin), birdsong, etc. which has intermingled with found sounds from the area, and is presented via 4 speakers surrounding the nest.The documentation heard here is a sample of the piece - mixed down to two channels.

Subsequent versions of this piece were done in Helsinki (Kiasma Museum), Wakefield (Wakefield Public Arts), Hyvinkää; Finland (Finnish Artists Union), Turku (Waino Aalto Museum), and Evanston, IL (Evanston Art Center) among others. Many of these versions are also documented here on this site.

This project was supported by the Illinois Arts Council, a State Agency.

Listen to Audio Documentation: