Dame Tessa Jowell served in British Parliament for 23 years, a longstanding giant in the Labor Party. Jowell died in 2018 of brain cancer and her daughter, Jess Mills, now helms the Tessa Jowell Foundation as CEO in her honor.
As part of a charity auction at Christie’s in Jowell’s memory, wood assemblies, a polished aluminum disc, and repurposed kitchenware are among the materials and objects fashioned into birdhouses by ten of the world’s leading architects.
The charity initiative, titled Architects For The Birds, is helmed by Christie’s London, Marie Donnelly, and Norman Foster. Proceeds will benefit brain cancer research through the Tessa Jowell Foundation and the National Health Service.
Norman Foster curated the selection of participants, and will himself design a birdhouse for the cause. The other nine architects invited to design bird houses were: Renzo Piano, David Chipperfield, Grafton Architects, Sou Fujimoto, Lina Ghotmeh, Jacques Herzog, Frida Escobedo, Farshid Moussavi, and Kazuyo Sejima.
Foster said the initiative is both philanthropic and ecological, noting, “Biodiversity is essential for the processes that support all life on earth, including humans. As members of ecosystems, birds play many roles, including predators, pollinators, scavengers, seed dispensers, seed predators, and ecosystem engineers.”
The individual personalities of each lauded architect are reflected in their pieces. The birdhouse by Foster, for instance, is in line with his penchant for sleek lines and minimalist materials.
The contribution by Sejima, a concave bowl, evokes furniture SANAA has designed, like the space age chairs at Grace Farms in Connecticut.
Renzo Piano’s design is one of the more colorful selections. It features two yellow-hued metal discs fixed to a conical vat where the feed is stored.
Jacques Herzog reused kitchenware, turning an unassuming bowl into a feeding bucket, that elegantly tops a tall stainless steel pole.
Grafton Architects conceived a sculptural design comprised of metal bent into imperfect circles. Metal hoops and rods form branches where birds can perch. At the base of the design, a circular water basin rests atop a hefty wood block.
“There are good environmental reasons to encourage the design of facilities for birds, aside from the sheer pleasure of sharing the company of our feathered friends,” Foster elaborated. “This connection to nature, more recently called biophilia, is helpful for our physical and mental wellbeing.”
It’s not the first time a group of architects have convened to design birdhouses.
As part of a fundraising gala for the Brackenridge Park Conservancy, Marlon Blackwell, Angela Brooks and Larry Scarpa, and others thought up birdhomes for an exhibition. A similar initiative entertained guests and bird watchers at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden.
Architects For The Birds will be on view for the public at Christie’s King Street location in London from October 8 to 14. The display also coincides with Frieze Week in London. The birdhouses will be bid on at a private dinner at Christie’s.
→ Continue reading at The Architect's Newspaper
