Existing comment:
Blueshift
2014
cast crystal and metal
Rachel Berwick
born Somers Point, NJ 1962
Courtesy of the artist
Blueshift is inspired by Berwick's ongoing research into the biology and behaviors of migratory birds, particularly the indigo bunting. Berwick learned that the vivid plumage of this small bird comes not from pigmentation but the structure of the feather itself, which refracts incoming light in much the same way that scattered light makes the sky look blue. Berwick replicates this phenomenon in crystal spheres, creating two different shades of blue that symbolize day and night. On the interior of each globe, cast impressions of songbirds give the illusion of a topographical map that suggests the birds' ability to navigate both earth and sky. The delicate forms hover like continents, connecting the terrestrial and celestial as only birds can. |