Bird Brains

2022 – present

The English language is full of expressions, sayings, and stories that refer to birds. My series "Bird Brains" is a visual glossary of those expressions whose meanings point to human irrationality. Each artwork is inspired by the bird that best matches up with an entry in an the Cognitive Bias Codex, and online inventory of biases and fallacies. From Black Swan Theory to the proverbial canary in the coal mine, I tap into this language to point out the variety of ways we misconstrue the world and each other.

Since 2022, my research for Bird Brains has inspired wall sculptures on birch panels. In 2023, I began making mixed media fiber sculptures. A metaphor for my yearning to bridge these gaps in understanding, these works combine materials from disparate chapters of my life: horsehair and leather from Texas; fashion prototyping fabric from Paris; sumi ink and washi paper from Japan. In homage to the multiculturalism of New York, I use the endlessly versatile material of thermoplastic to create repeating elements that are sometimes mounted sideways like glass fins on rigid surfaces, other times sewn like textured feathers into fabric and leather or piercing translucent organza.

 

Bird Brains research on the studio wall

Featured
Research
Research

Matching bird idioms to biases and fallacies using the Cognitive Bias Codex as a resource, among others

Albatross
Albatross

Scapegoating Fallacy

In Coleridge’s poem “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner,” a mariner shot an albatross. Subsequently, a violent storm plagued the crew, so they blamed the mariner and hung the dead bird around his neck.

Black Swan
Black Swan

Black Swan Theory
The term is based on an ancient saying that presumed all swans were white and therefore black swans did not exist. They were later discovered in Australia.

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Canary
Canary

Canary in the Coal Mine
Canaries used to be carried into mines to indicate whether the level of methane gas was lethal. When they died, the miners would flee. Today’s climate denialists would do well to heed the proverbial canary who has long ago fallen from his perch.

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Chicken
Chicken

Negative Interpretation Bias
When an acorn falls on her head, Chicken Little (aka Henny Penny) believes the sky is falling. Mass hysteria ensues.

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Crane
Crane

Illusion of Control Bias
An ancient Japanese legend promises that anyone who folds a thousand origami cranes will be granted a wish by the gods. They are often given to a person who is seriously ill to wish for their recovery.

Duck
Duck

The Duck Test
“If it looks like a duck, swims like a duck, and quacks like a duck, then it probably is a duck.” The problem is, sometimes it’s not a duck at all. Abductive reasoning (syllogisms) can yield only probable conclusions, not irrefutable ones.

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Goose
Goose

Wild Goose Chase (Fool’s Errand)
a foolish or hopeless search for something unattainable

Magpie
Magpie

Fallacy of Consumerism
In many stories and legends, magpies are attracted to shiny objects which they steal and hoard in their nests: an apt metaphor for the modern myth that accumulating wealth will bring happiness.

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Ostrich
Ostrich

The Ostrich Effect
”Burying one’s head in the sand” – This metaphor is actually a cognitive bias that describes how people often avoid unwelcome information.

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Peacock
Peacock

Appeal to Vanity Fallacy
In a western (especially puritanical) context, the peacock is a symbol of vanity, false pride and ego. These qualities make a person vulnerable to flattery.

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Secretary Bird
Secretary Bird

Gender Stereotyping
This secretary is sexy: all false eyelashes and saloon girl bloomers. But don’t underestimate this beauty – she can kill snakes with her bare hands (feet).

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