NO PLACE LIKE NOLA
Intro Video.
This series of 14 interactive, architectural, New Orleans style, funky birdhouses is a public art installation located in the Botanical Gardens in City Park, New Orleans, and was commissioned by the Arts Council of New Orleans thru a generous public art grant from the Joan Mitchell Foundation as part of "Art in Public Places 2008".
These intricately detailed birdhouses were built to celebrate the unique architecture, history, and culture of New Orleans. Some of the birdhouses are modeled off of specific historic structures in the city, while others are composites based on local architectural styles. Each of the 14 birdhouses represents a different district of New Orleans. The wooden forms of the birdhouses were built using salvaged lumber and are decorated with elaborate layers of paint, collage, trinkets, beads, and Mardi Gras throws.
They each hang from a custom welded metal pole structure and are crowned with unique hand-cast bronze Fleur-di-Lis. Each of the birdhouses also has a solar-powered porch light that comes on at night using an electronic light sensor.
The "No Place Like NOLA" series is a project that developed over several years. It all started with the "Forced Migration" series of birdhouses that I built following the destruction of my home and studio in New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina.
The birdhouses that I built for the "Forced Migration" series were relatively simple in design and I was interested in exploring more elaborate architectural forms. So, I did extensive research on the specific architectural styles in New Orleans. Using blue-prints, floor-plans, sketches, and detailed photographs, I created my own miniature version of 14 historic buildings and architectural styles found in the city (one for each district of New Orleans).
I also built two extra birdhouses: a FEMA trailer, and a pink Shotgun Shack. The FEMA trailer is on permanent display at the Big Top Gallery, and the pink Shotgun Shack is hanging in my back yard.
CLICK HERE for more information on each of the birdhouses in the No Place Like NOLA series.