WHAT HAS THE BIRD DONE?

Swedish artist Sofia Björkman’s recent series of work was inspired by a conversation. As she writes, ‘I told a friend that I find it difficult to make something that looks wild and he replied. “I went out to look for horns, and when I came back I found everything in a mess. I wonder what the bird has done?”’ Adornment has a long history of working with wild nature, turning bones, teeth and feathers into wearable objects that represent the complex relationship between humans and their environment. This work consists of three-dimensional hand drawings created from PLA, an organic plastic material made from cornstarch. The PLA is melted, ‘drawn’ by Björkman into feathery shapes and then allowed to harden again, before being assembled into wearable adornment. With these works the artist asks: free drawing is liberated, but is it wild? A graduate of Konstfack art school in Stockholm, Björkman’s series What Has the Bird Done? has been exhibited in Sweden and Brazil. Her work is included in private collections in the US and Europe.