Migrations Spoonbill 6

Bird 6, like all the birds in the Migrations installation, emits sounds triggered by a motion sensor. The bird call is sampled from a recording of the Roseate Spoonbill in the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. The bottles that hang from its neck were found during my first visit to McAllen, where I scavenged in the reeds by the Rio Grande in search of migrant dropped artifacts. There is a necklace that says "te amo" entwined in the ear buds that were also found. Stuffed into the bottles are pieces of Homeland Security bags, found by border activist and artist, Scott Nicol, and mailed to me for use in my project. These site-specific elements in the work helps to convey much of the meaning behind the installation. 

About Migrations:

Cynthia Minet was commissioned to make the solo installation by the International Museum of Art and Science in McAllen, Texas. Located in the 60 x 30 foot central gallery, Migrations is an illuminated and interactive exhibit of five suspended sculptures and one floor piece. It is accompanied by a two wall-mounted drawings shown in the entry way of the gallery, and a documentary film shown on a monitor outside the gallery. The installation is site-responsive, composed mainly from recycled plastic debris from Los Angeles, but also incorporating found materials gathered from the borderlands region of the Rio Grande Valley. The works interpret the Roseate Spoonbill aquatic bird in various stages of flight. Light sequencing, and motion-activated sounds of wing beats, running water, bird calls, footsteps through grasses, etc., create a sense of movement and mystery in the darkened gallery space.  The installation points to current environmental and political issues around human and avian migration, the humanitarian crisis of the borderlands, and the threat of species extinction due to environmental degradation. 

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