The Avian Knot

'Vines arc across my body, A lattice of stem and rope Constricting Compressing. A chrysalis of feather and bud, But never to emerge Stiller than a snake in wait, Fixed like roots of oak. Held by blushing blossoms, Lies an object of desire They seek truths of a hidden world, A reflection is all I give.' Chloe’s work examines the duality of our relationship with nature, in particular birds. Using elements of both contemporary taxidermy, fictional writing and Ikebana (Japanese floristry), birds are suspended in ropes, with flowers delicately woven through. The allure of the domesticated and captive animal is that there is beauty to be found in its artificial environment, if you choose not to look too closely. The birds shown are all in an intermediate stage of taxidermy; they hang in the balance of not quite being one thing or another. Stunted in their movement they are like material, which can be pushed and pulled at will. The questions raised in this series ask the viewer to think critically about the authenticity of the relationships they have with animals. The body of work shown in this series is a combination of bird species. The pairing of these birds aims to highlight their unique beauty in a way that elevates all species to the same aesthetic gaze. While some birds are considered vermin, others are exoticised, and yet they are all simply birds.