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first took flight 05.1998
an archive of primary activities 1998 through 2002
the Society for Arts + Ecology in Practice
bringing the power of the arts to sustainability
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THE NEST
In situ on the grassy knoll outside the Roundhouse Community Centre in the heart of downtown Vancouver at False Creek North for almost a year, the Nest was desiged based on the architecture of Marsh Wrens, and constructed by artist and landscape architect Claire Bedat using waste cuttings from a botanical garden.
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The structure withstood snow, heavy rain, winter squalls - as well as the protests of neighbors in high-end condos and a scandalised Parks Board. Children and animals loved it. In the end, someone was sleeping in it. It smelled sweet and felt like home, a nest.
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I would like to thank Beth Carruthers and Nelson Gray for inviting me in the making of the SongBird Project. As a participant I felt entirely supported and respected in the search and implementation of the Nest design. Growth is often assimilated to change - I changed during the making of this project and feel emotionally empowered and bounded to a greater cause: preserving biodiversity on Earth...
Claire Bédat - Landscape Architect & Creator of “the Nest” Public Art site installation