To celebrate the 8th annual Sparkcon Festival of Creativity, we built an 8ft nest in the NCSU Fish Market Gallery in downtown Raleigh, NC. The materials are stone, pine branches, sand, soil, mulch, hay, pinecones, and of course acorns, the symbol of Raleigh. The rocks represent the NC Mountains, and the sand that fills the center of the nest represent the shoreline. The pine branches and pinecones that form the walls of the nest are prevalent in our NC natural spaces.

 

The nest is designed to demonstrate humanity’s link with nature. The installation is about dwellings and interior spaces. It mimics the way people enhance and personalize the spaces they inhabit. The building materials are used to create visually interesting patterns and details, which is also done in the décor of our homes. Around the nest, suspended from the ceiling, you will find branch chandeliers and columns of printed brown paper. The leaf and feather printed paper is reminiscent of wallpaper and other designs found in our homes on walls and textiles that make up our nests. The branch chandeliers and columns of printed brown paper form tree-like towers throughout the gallery. The nest is yet another way of stating that we are part of nature.