Creepy Art in the Southern Winter

Regular readers will know that I take the bus to work. Between the bus stop and my building there are several art galleries. 4  in 1 block.  The other morning, in the pre-dawn dark, I came across one gallery with just one big installation. I had to take the shot you see above. The place was closed, but the installation was fully lit, allowing me to take this shot through its front door.  

Now, imagine this.  It's dark, the streets are deserted and the art gallery, with its polished tile floors has this three dimensional ...exhibit is the only word I can think of. It's big.  I mean it's a full sized room! Set up like a dorm room, it's got real twin beds and accessories, and even a nightstand with flowers on it. The room is littered with papers and things from the drawers and what appears to be a sewing kit is open in the middle of the room where two small folded white paper birds fight over a piece of string. 

Yeah, paper birds. The ceiling is covered with more, but these are big black crow like birds...maybe ravens. And just below them hangs another handful of the smaller white birds. The walls are lined with stick like branches, that stretch out, reaching into the room itself, black against the light blue walls. 

See the pretty birdies?

Creepy much? I showed it to my wife and she actually likes it. And yes, it has a certain visceral quality, but that doesn't mean that we're about to have the thing installed in our living room.  I mean, I love art - all kinds of art. My mother was an artist and I still have one painting she did when I was a mere lad. I watched her create it, watched as a futuristic city rose out of the mist she created, and when she didn't like it and was about to paint white over it, I complained enough that she gave it to me. It's a great piece and part if it is the story behind it.  Every bit of art I place in my house has to have a  story behind it and I'm afraid the story behind this big diorama is written by Stephen King and directed by Alfred Hitchcock.

I think I'll just leave it where it is, and be glad that i got to see it one morning on my way to work and don't have to see it every morning on my way to the bathroom.

The diversity.  That's what's really nice about living in a city like Nashville.  Diversity and creepy paper birds flying over your dorm room bed.