Swiss
Tom Sachs
Plywood, latex paint, steel hardware
17 in × 16 in. × 14 in.
Osborne Garden
Painted with the design of the Swiss flag, artist Tom Sachs reflects on the meaning of land borders and national identity to both humans and the birds that fly above them. Swiss as a birdhouse is both a symbolic and literal shelter. “To find home or shelter in Switzerland is the dream,” Sachs explains. “If those damn birds are so above it all, why not let them share our burden? Let’s ground the birds in that reality.”
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Tom Sachs’s (b. 1966, U.S.) genre-defying mixed media sculptures, often recreations of modern icons using everyday materials, show all of the work that goes into producing an object—a reversal of modernization’s trend toward products with cleaner, simpler, and more perfect edges. His sculptures are conspicuously handmade; their scars and imperfections in the sculptures tell the story of how it came to be. Sachs exhibits in the U.S. and abroad, and his work is held in the permanent collections of numerous international museums.
Artist website: tomsachs.com
Instagram: @tomsachs
Listen
Rare Birds
Andrew Bird
This recording from The Birdsong Project was selected to complement this birdhouse.
Birdhouse Location
For the Birds Presenting Sponsor
