CHRIS MAYNARD: THE CARVER OF FEATHERS
Posted on October 21, 2013 by Luisa Fazio
They are taken from their daily chatter while perched on branches or reeds. They spread their wings and, together, forming circles or triangles, they migrate away. They are “The birds” of Chris Maynard. Watching his reduced dioramas, you feel the lightness of a breath and at the same time the mystery of the art of flying ( bird’s feathers are light and flexible, but strong and sturdy). Maynard steals surgeon’s working tools: scissors destined to eye surgery, tweezers, scalpels and magnifying glasses to carve with impeccable precision waterproof “beards” of feathers of every bird species. Turned into a vector of art, feathers, lost naturally by birds during their moulting period or from private aviaries or zoos, becomes a conceptual work. Animal rights activists, it’s under control! When everything seems concluded, when life is put to an end, the American Maynard continues, thanks to his exceptional creations, to revive the spirit, the soul into every single feather, the beauty and complexity of nature. Don’t you feel alive in the recall of his flocks?
www.featherfolio.com
Copyright © The Harlow 2019