A bronze sculpture of the Labrador Duck sits in Brand Park in Elmira, New York, near the site where the last living survivor was seen. (photo by Scott Anger)
The Lost Bird Project, which memorializes five North American birds driven to extinction in modern times – the Carolina Parakeet, the Great Auk, the Heath Hen, the Labrador Duck and the Passenger Pigeon – has a launched a site. It follows artist Todd McGrain, who is in the process of installing sculptures of the five birds in the locations where the extinct bird, or flock of birds, was last seen.
“The bronze sculptures I am creating will be subtle, beautiful, and hopeful reminders. The human scale of each sculpture elicits a physical sympathy. The smooth surface, like a stone polished from touch, conjures the effect of memory and time. I model these gestural forms to contain a taut equilibrium, a balanced pressure from outside and from inside—like a breath held in. As a group they are melancholy, yet affirming. They compel us to recognize the finality of our loss, they ask us not to forget them, and they remind us of our duty to prevent further extinction.” - Artist Todd McGrain
Documentary filmmaker Deborah Dickson is directing a film about the search for the right locations in Newfoundland, New York, Florida, Ohio and Massachusetts. I am working with Deborah as the director of photography.
The bronze sculpture of the extinct Passenger Pigeon stands near the entrance to the Grange Audubon Center in Columbus, Ohio. (photo by Scott Anger)
The profound story of loss behind each bird’s extinction is a story involving mostly human causes. The Lost Bird Project blog has biographies of each bird.
An interesting book for additional reading is, “Hope is a Thing with Feathers,” by Christopher Cokinos. Mr. Cokinos expands on the stories behind all five birds and the Ivory-billed Woodpecker.
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