Jan-Erik Andersson & Shawn Decker: Bird’s Nest Jakobstad/Pietarsaari, installed in the Campus Allegro as a part of the Rusk Music Festival 19.11.2024 – 6.2.2025
Bird’s Nest is a site-specific, interactive sculptural work that has belonged to the Pro Artibus Foundation’s art collection since 2021. The work has been exhibited in various versions since 2001, including in Berlin, Retretti (Punkaharju), Kiasma (Helsinki), Wakefield (England), Hyvinkää, Mänttä, WAM (Turku), Chicago, Ekenäs, Turku and Porvoo.
The structure is made of 170 triangular modules creating a very stabile chaos. The concept of the module has been widely used in modernist architecture, resulting in monotonous buildings with repeated patterns. In the Bird’s Nest-structure, however, the arrangement of the triangular modules in a semi-chaotic manner creates a space, which is more organic – and rooted in structures and ways of constructing found within natural systems. Building it, Andersson uses the same method as the birds; taking one element and fastening it to another, according to a shape in his head. No mechanical measures are used.
Decker’s site specific sound incorporates eight channels of sound that refers to classical and orchestral music. Small snippets of music from the Rusk concert program, along with recordings of orchestras warming up and tuning, as well as other sources are used. These sounds create a rich collage referencing the festival that is analogous to the many small bits of material collected by a bird building a nest.
The artists see these acoustic and kinetic elements functioning as architectural ornamentation, broadening of the concept of the “ornament” to include sound and rhythm.
The Nest is connected to the Campus Allegro’s café. Visitors are invited to sit down by tables inside the Nest and experience the transparency of the structure and how it allows the sounds and movement of the people attending the classical music festival to be a part of the experience.
