Grace Barnett-Fitch

Bird Funerals

My photography project delves into the surreal and eerie concept of a “beach bird world” where the natural and the uncanny collide. This setting is dominated by murders of crows and other birds, who seem to blur the line between witnesses and perpetrators in a series of mysterious events. The central theme revolves around the concept of bird funerals with each image serving as a piece of evidence in this unsettling narrative, suggesting that something is deeply wrong in birdland. The crows, often depicted as harbingers of death or omens, add an almost sentient presence to the project, intensifying the sense of unease. These crows are not just animals but are imbued with humanistic traits, blending avian behaviors with unsettling reflections of humanity. Their surroundings further blur the line between their world and ours—images depict surreal elements like a weathered kitchen table inexplicably placed on the sand, laden with objects hinting at unseen stories. The crows interact with these human objects in ways that suggest intelligence and ritual, adding an uncanny dimension to the scenes.

The beach, often a symbol of boundaries and transitions, serves as the perfect backdrop for these liminal and haunting scenes. The project ultimately raises questions about what lies hidden in the rituals of nature, inviting viewers to interpret the unsettling world of birdland for themselves.