Erik Berglin The Bird Project, 2006 - 2017
“The Bird Project”, that Erik Berglin will present at the 2023 festival edition, is a long-term work that he created over a period of twelve years, between 2006 and 2017. He wheat-pasted hand cut photographs of birds in cities all over the world. The birds, which were all in natural size, were placed at selected locations to then be documented photographically by the artist himself. At the end of the project, 4982 photographs showing various bird-species, were wheat pasted in twelve cities around the world: Gothenburg (2006) Berlin (2007) Tel Aviv (2008) Casablanca (2009 New York (2010), Reykjavik (2011) Madrid (2012) Malmö (2013) Rio de Janeiro (2014) Buenos Aires (2015) London (2016) and Stockholm (2017). The process for the project began by sourcing ornithology books in antiquarian bookshops as well as libraries. Appropriate images were first scanned, then edited and reprinted again. The next step revolved all around cutting out the images with scissors and a scalpel in order to free them from the paper. This project combines various fields, such as ornithology, storytelling and street art/street photography.
"I work in a conceptual tradition with a set of rules and a clear idea of how the project should be executed. However I usually start working with pure enthusiasm and try not to question whether it’s good or bad. When I realize that I am on to something interesting, then I start thinking about a suitable framework for that specific project."
— Erik Berglin
Biography
Erik Berglin was born in 1980 in Sundsvall, Sweden. In his practice, he explores the boundaries of what photography is and can be today. His often humorous work ranges from interventions in public space, fact/fictional storytelling and appropriation of material found in old books or online. While his practice revolves around text and images, he uses a camera very rarely; instead, to create images, he often uses either customized computer algorithms or scissors. Ordinary found images are altered, or get detached from their natural function that reference documentaries, art history and pop culture. The subject matter may vary accordingly, but always revolves around the question of authenticity of photography. The conceptual framework and the process is just as important as the final result.
Exhibitions / Notable achievements
- Exhibition at the Nordic Light Festival of Photography (NO), 2022
- "Tulip Variation" selected for the reGeneration show: The Challenges of Photography and its Museum for Tomorrow at Musée de l’Elysée (CH), 2020
- Winner of the Swedish Book Art Award 2020 and Swedish Photo Book Price 2022 for his book The Bird Project (2006-2017)
