INSTALLATIONS
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2014 | Barn wood, found objects
Since 2014, habitation becomes art in “House.” A living performance, the piece is a self-sustained off-grid dwelling constructed from barn wood and found objects. Since its creation, Birch has inhabited this haphazard structure as both an act of resistance and a meditation on autonomy. Rejecting the conventions of rent and commodified living, “House” reclaims discarded materials and unoccupied land, challenging notions of ownership, sustainability, and survival. More than a shelter, it is a statement on the resilience of resourcefulness and the art of adaptation. Inviting viewers to question societal norms, the piece implicates each viewer as they imagine alternative ways of living that embrace imperfection, independence, and a deeper connection to place.
Bike
2018 | Steel, found objects
Recontextualizing discarded steel and found objects into a functional, reimagined vehicle, “Bike” embodies a commitment to resourcefulness and sustainability. As part of an ongoing exploration of public utility and creative reuse, the work challenges passive consumption by giving new purpose to overlooked materials. Rethinking how we engage with the objects that shape our daily lives, “Bike” becomes more than a sculpture but an activation of community. Designed for public use, the work blurs the line between art and function. Inviting participants to consider cycles of renewal and the power of small, “Bike” encourages participation in deliberate actions to reimagine our preconceived ideas of shared public spaces.
Raft
2020 | Wood, rope, found objects
“Raft” is a contemplative installation crafted from wood and found objects, evoking the fragile isolation of the pandemic and the quiet weight of mourning. Participants step into the role of a lifeboat captain, navigating the precarious balance between loss and survival as the structure rapidly sinks. Through this immersive metaphor, the piece explores the rituals we turn to for healing—acts of reckoning, resilience, and release. The work invites participants to confront vulnerability while discovering strength in the shared experience of uncertainty. By merging tactile interaction with symbolic narrative, “Raft” becomes a physical and emotional vessel for reflection, offering a moment of solace amidst the currents of collective grief.
Church
2024 | Wood, candles, paint, collage
In this immersive and visceral performance piece, the artist leads the participants into a dark tunnel. They crawl on hands and knees until they reach a ladder, and descend into a stormwater overflow tunnel. The solemn procession follows a the buried creek. After several minutes they arrive at an unexpected sanctuary: a candle-lit church. The center of the church is a pulpit collaged with an outstretched hand decorated with saints: a rope, a lighter, a canteen, a hammer, and a crowbar. After a silence, they take turns delivering a sermon from a painted and collaged pupit. The artist concludes the performance with a poem.
“Friends,
We gather in this sacred space
To worship the spaces
in which we can gather:
An institution left crumbling,
Undesirable by paperwork or finance —
A spray painted canvas, a film set
On broken glass.
Slivers of passageway between buildings,
Unseen by satellite or helicopter —
An asylum from tear gas.
A direct route.
A construction site,
Public before becoming private,
A shelter from a rainstorm —
muddy sneakers on wood.
A held door by a stranger and
An unsecured fire escape.
Nobody knows their neighbors:
A rooftop panorama of fireworks.
We gather here tonight
Where there is nothing to buy
Where there is nothing to do
Where there is nothing to be
May these spaces stay sacred.”
”
LOOKOUT
2020 | Scrap wood, rope, paint, collage
Entering the monumental, site-specific sculpture, “Lookout” grants access to the soaring internal arches of a railway bridge. Rising over 30 feet, the work was constructed through daring ingenuity as salvaged wood was ferried by a handmade boat and anchored with concrete bolts by rappelling 100 feet from the tracks above. At the heart of the installation is a striking mural of an outstretched hand. Adorned with survival tools including a hammer, crowbar, lighter, rope, and canteen, the mural showcases emblems of resilience and resourcefulness. “Lookout” transforms industrial remnants by reclaiming forgotten, inaccessible spaces. Birch challenges the boundaries of the environments we build and discard, offering participants a moment of reflection in this reinvigorated liminal space between the ground and the sky.
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