The artist's choice to use birdseed as a non-archival material for her self-portrait can be seen as a deliberate commentary on the nature of art, the passage of time, and the relationship between humans and the natural world. By using birdseed, she is inviting a dynamic interaction with the environment and the wildlife that inhab it.
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Ephemeral Nature of Art: The use of birdseed underscores the ephemeral quality of her work. Unlike traditional materials that are meant to last, birdseed will inevitably degrade and be consumed by animals, reflecting the transient nature of life and art.
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Interaction with Nature: The artist's approach encourages a dialogue between her artwork and the local ecosystem. The portrait becomes a temporary installation that invites birds to engage with it, highlighting the interconnectedness between humans and nature.
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Documenting Change: By planning to document the deterioration of the portrait over time, she emphasizes the processes of change and decay, which are inherent in both art and nature. This aspect also adds layers of meaning to her work, inviting viewers to reflect on time, mortality, and the cyclical processes in nature.
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Attracting Wildlife: The portrait's design could symbolize the artist's identity while simultaneously acting as a food source for birds, merging the realms of art and ecology. This juxtaposition can provoke thoughts about survival, nourishment, and the role of the artist within the broader ecosystem.
Overall, her choice of birdseed is a powerful statement about the temporality of existence, the relationship between creativity and nature, and the impact of environmental conditions on artistic expression.