Ando Masebu and Ryo Kobayashi were among 23 designers who created birdhouses for an exhibition at a south London gallery which aimed to illustrate “what it means to build a birdhouse”.
Designed by design studio Computer Room and birdwatching collective Flock Together, the housing project focuses on shared themes of sanctuary and exploration of our relationship with nature.
The exhibition, held at the Orozco Garden and Clore Studio in the South London gallery from 31 August to 1 September 2024, consists of an eclectic series of 22 objects and images, ranging from practical solutions to expressive conceptual responses.
The diverse contributions summarized the unique thought processes and skills of ceramicists, glassmakers, architects, and photographers.
Many designers have created their own designs for traditional birdhouses, which are usually made of wood and feature an opening large enough to provide an entrance for nesting birds.
Other participants chose a more abstract approach, such as artist and designer Mo Asare’s site-specific project that explores attempts to reintroduce black kites to a Dutch nature reserve.
Masebo, the exhibition’s co-curator, who runs the Computer Room Design Group alongside Jesse Butterfield and Charlie Humble-Thomas, developed the birdhouse through remote collaboration with his uncle Dan O’Connell – a trained carpenter based in Ireland.
Without speaking throughout the process, Masebo and O’Connell sent material back and forth between London and Ireland, each making their own adjustments until a birdhouse-shaped object emerged.
Butterfield’s contribution to the exhibition is a wooden structure inspired by skyscrapers and modern architecture. Bird Metropolis provides space for eight pairs of sparrows to nest within a tower carved into organic, tree-like shapes.
London and Copenhagen-based designer Daniel Schofield’s birdhouse uses renewable cork bark as an alternative to wood, which he suggested was an odd choice of material because it required cutting down the bird’s natural habitat to create an artificial home.
“The shape and proportions were chosen to be good for birds, but also easy to produce industrially and domestically, and we hope it will give greater opportunity to be manufactured in large quantities, and give the best chance of creating more homes for birds,” Schofield said. In our urban landscape.”
Kobayashi’s playful response to the brief titled “The Ostrich’s Guest House” was raised to an appropriate height so that the ostrich could hide its head inside instead of burying it in the ground.
The birdhouse features an aerodynamic shape and details that reflect the ostrich’s ability to run at high speeds. Its front surface is burnt to give the impression that aerodynamic friction has set fire to the wood.
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Ceramist George Baggaley created the birdhouse in his signature organic style, which is decorated with glazes that highlight its undulating surfaces.
Ovulo by Jaclyn Pappalardo features a welded shape reminiscent of shapes found in nature. The curved shape, with a hook at one end for hanging on a tree branch, was produced using a process that involves blowing metal using water.
Oliver Hawkes worked with a charity called Global Generation to build the birdhouses using leftover materials donated by eyewear brand Cubitts. The project aims to involve young people in the bird-making process and educate them about issues related to the environment and the coexistence of birds.
Many of the pieces created for the exhibition were available to purchase, with all proceeds helping to support the South London Gallery’s communities and learning programmes.
Photography was done by Computer Room and South London Gallery.
