KATLYNN BALDERSTONE

Bill Burns is known for work with themes of nature and mankind, as in his exhibit Safety Gear for Small Animals. His new exhibit, Bird Radio and the Eames Chair Lounge, now open at the Mendel Art Gallery, is no exception.

Bird Radio is an inspired and thought-provoking installation that examines the true impact of nature in our lives. The exhibit shows the disconnect between modern society and the natural world, and how poorly the beauty of something as simple as a bird’s song can be captured by manmade devices.

In the exhibit, a book sits on one of the chairs, providing instructions on how to create various bird calls. The book also has a note warning readers that the calls should not be considered substitutes for actual bird songs.

The Eames chairs, named for their creator, are taken from the time period when mass production and factory models were becoming more and more prominent in furniture design. The chairs represent a loss of craftsmanship, as well as a step away from the natural and towards artificial materials like fibreglass and plastic.

One of the most intriguing and appealing aspects of Bird Radio is in how much of the show is left up to the viewer’s curiosity. Nothing in the gallery is labelled specifically as “do not touch” or “feel free to touch,” but books about each bird call and dismantled radio transmitters on the chairs placed throughout the exhibit encourage interaction. None of the artworks are labelled either, but a stack of tucked-away maps will help viewers to understand the titles and contexts of each work.

Despite the images and imitations of nature, nothing in the exhibit is truly natural. The bird songs are either crude imitations or displayed on graphs that trace the shape of the sound waves. A bookshelf displays field guides and text miniaturizations behind glass on conservation topics such as “Song of the Dodo” and “Silent Spring.” A video on one side of the room features young children demonstrating how to use the calls and reciting information about the bird they represent, but pictures of the birds are never actually shown.

The exhibit questions the viewer. It asks how the viewer is exposed to the natural world, and how it is filtered through media and technology. It’s a thoughtful exhibit and one that will likely stick with you for a long time.Bird Radio and the Eames Chair Lounge is on display at the Mendel until Jan. 6, 2012. Further pieces and projects by the artist can be found at billburnsprojects.com.

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Photo: Mendel Art Gallery