David Claerbout Birdcage, 2023

Birdcage is an extension of David Claerbout's preoccupation with perception, cognition, time, and temporality.

In Birdcage, an explosion shatters the tranquility of a picturesque garden, creating a sense of urgency in a potentially serene setting. The silent explosion is captured in a long, muted shot, placing the viewer in a conflicted position to visually appreciate this scene of destruction.

With an allusion to René Magritte's Empire of Lights, Birdcage explores how our perception actively composes the world we inhabit. Continuing the interests of earlier works in which Claerbout shifted the main role from the foreground to the background, Birdcage shifts attention from the center to the periphery, from a sun-drenched, (f)estive explosion of nature to a state of tension.