David Claerbout Birdcage (absolutely non violent), 2023-2024

The work belongs to a series of sketches made by David Claerbout in conjunction with his 2023 video work Birdcage. In the video, 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.

Claerbout creates a small number of drawings with each of his projects as notes to himself regarding problems encountered during film shootings or preparatory studies. According to him: “drawing was what I was best at for putting ideas on paper.” Showing a great attention to detail, these drawings are usually made before completion of the work. More than simple tools or preparatory sketches, they transcribe onto paper the duration of images—therefore time—through the depiction of movement and film editing.

Birdcage is an extension of David Claerbout's preoccupation with perception, cognition, time, and temporality. Exploring how our perception actively composes the world we inhabit, the work's imagery alludes to the surrealist painter René Magritte's series Empire of Lights which subtly juxtaposed in one image lighting conditions commonly seen during day and night time.