Taking the element of knots from a previous series of work on vintage handkerchiefs, Wendy’s research led her to the Red Knot bird (Calidris canutus) and in particular one bird labelled B95. She was inspired by the bird’s extraordinary annual migration of 17,800 miles from Rio Grande to the Arctic Circle and back.
By creating a cloud of over 3,000 stitched red knots, Wendy’s installation suggests the gathering of Red Knots at their breeding ground and the 40 flight path threads reflect the 20 years of migration undertaken by B95. The threads change colour as do the birds, and their stop off feeding points are marked by knots on the thread flight paths.
It’s estimated that B95 has covered over 356,000 miles in his lifetime; effectively the distance from the Earth to the Moon, and halfway back, hence his nickname ‘The Moonbird’.
Photographs taken at the Eastleigh College end of year graduates exhibition:
Photographs of the installation at the Mall Galleries, London:
Wendy Fleckner 