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One man's trash is this artist's material of choice. Artist Thomas Deininger takes discarded items and transforms them into anamorphic sculptures of birds, many of which are endangered or extinct, sending an important environmental message through his art. Each completed piece looks like a lifelike interpretation of a bird when looking at it from a particular angle, but the real magic sinks in once the point of view shifts. Deininger plays with perspective for his pieces to come together, as they are made of a cleverly arranged mix of old plastic toys and trinkets, sending a warning about how our abuse of resources is harming the natural world.
Armed with a glue gun, Deininger joins the items in a complex web that wouldn't make much sense until it is viewed from a certain angle. “Now that I’ve been doing this a while, I see parts and pieces of creatures (birds, fish, insects, etc.) in all kinds of man-made materials,” Deininger told Jejune Magazine. “I see beaks and wings and feathers claws everywhere in a kind of reverse biomimicry. Conversely, I also see shapes and textures of specific objects when observing the natural world. Sometimes a material or action figure inspires the subject, sometimes it’s the other way around.”
For Deininger, the climate crisis is his biggest political and social concern, and that's why it has taken center stage in his artistic practice. “I have always been sensitive to these issues but the catalyst to make the statement was definitely witnessing first hand plastics wash up on remote islands in the South Pacific when I was on a years long surfing trip around the world,” Deininger says. “I became very disappointed about American consumer culture being exported all over the world. It clearly seemed like a temporary solution with long term deleterious consequence.”
Among the birds depicted in Deininger's work are a wild maccaw, endangered due to deforestation and poaching; the Carolina parakeet, hunted to extinction following an initial habitat loss; and the Ivory-billed woodpecker, native to the coniferous forests of the Southern United States and Cuba that has been listed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as extinct since September 2021. While all of these birds have different appearances, colors, and textures, the artist has found a way to truthfully represent them thanks to his keen sense of observation.
“The whole thing is really a meditation on perspective and illusion and the fragility of our world view in any given emotional state,” the artist states. “The practice is also about order in chaos.”
To stay up to date with the artist's work and learn where you can see the magic of his pieces with your own eyes, make sure to follow Thomas Deininger on Instagram.
Artist Thomas Deininger plays with perspective to build anamorphic bird sculptures with a cleverly arranged mix of old plastic toys and trinkets.
Ver esta publicación en Instagram
They appear as lifelike imitations from certain angles, but the real magic of his art sinks in once the point of view shifts.
Ver esta publicación en Instagram
Deininger's optical illusion sculptures send a warning about how our abuse of resources is harming the natural world.
Ver esta publicación en Instagram
While all of the birds he has depicted have different appearances, colors, and textures, the artist has found a way to truthfully represent them thanks to his keen sense of observation.
Ver esta publicación en Instagram
“Now that I’ve been doing this a while I see parts and pieces of creatures (birds, fish, insects etc.) in all kinds of man-made materials,” Deininger says.
Ver esta publicación en Instagram
“The whole thing is really a meditation on perspective and illusion and the fragility of our world view in any given emotional state. The practice is also about order in chaos.”
Ver esta publicación en Instagram
Thomas Deininger: Instagram
Sources: Thomas Deininger – Trash to Treasure; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Proposes Delisting 23 Species from Endangered Species Act Due to Extinction
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