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Fluttering Paper Birds Intricately Cut From Old Maps and Atlases

paper birds maps claire brewster

With vintage maps and aged atlases as her guides, London-based artist Claire Brewster crafts airy and ethereal avian cut-outs. Her colorful collection of paper birds play with negative space and silhouettes to illustrate the elegant aesthetic of birds in flight.

Each figure features intricately carved feathers that appear to delicately flutter. With extended wings and alternating positions, the birds demonstrate the unique gestures of flying birds. To imply movement, Brewster displays her cut-outs by either tacking them directly on the wall or placing them in box frames. With their dainty wings and ornate incisions, the birds cast beautiful shadows behind them, hinting at three-dimensionality and making them look as if they are in motion. Brewster's fascination with movement is also apparent in her use of maps and atlases, which represents the birds' ability to “transcend borders and pass freely between countries.”

With this focus on birds and cartography, it is no surprise that Brewster is most inspired by the natural world. “Nature is ever present, even in the most urban environments, taking over wherever we neglect, living in a separate yet parallel universe,” she says on her website. “I take my inspiration from the natural environment, creating entomological installations of flora and fauna from imagined locations.” With no indicative backgrounds and few defining features, the birds appear to be objects of Brewster's imagination, simultaneously exhibiting her interest in animals and her fanciful creativity.

paper birds maps claire brewster

paper birds maps claire brewster

paper birds maps claire brewster

paper birds maps claire brewster

paper birds maps claire brewster

paper birds maps claire brewster

paper birds maps claire brewster

paper birds maps claire brewster

paper birds maps claire brewster

paper birds maps claire brewster
Claire Brewster: Website | Facebook | Instagram 
h/t: [Faith is Torment]

All images via Claire Brewster.

Kelly Richman-Abdou

Kelly Richman-Abdou is a Contributing Writer at My Modern Met. An art historian living in Paris, Kelly was born and raised in San Francisco and holds a BA in Art History from the University of San Francisco and an MA in Art and Museum Studies from Georgetown University. When she’s not writing, you can find Kelly wandering around Paris, whether she’s leading a tour (as a guide, she has been interviewed by BBC World News America and France 24) or simply taking a stroll with her husband and two tiny daughters.
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