One of the oldest continuously operating farms in the United States has a new artwork designed, quite literally, for the birds. Within the grasslands of Appleton Farms, founded in 1638 in Ipswich, Massachusetts, artist Jean Shin used salvaged wood and copper to create sculptures that function as resting places for the bobolink birds who nest on the farm during their annual northern migration. Aptly titled Perch and on view until November 1, the public artwork was commissioned by The Trustees, the nonprofit land and historic conservation organization that maintains the farm.
Shin’s sculptural perches have a thrifty charm, each fabricated from a discarded wooden fence post and standing a bit below eye level. Affixed to the posts with nails are copper plates, which the artist salvaged during the roof renovation last August at the deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum in Lincoln, Massachusetts, and copper pipes that hold long, slender twigs. These makeshift tree branches evoke a humorous blend of nature and artifice. At the same time, their reparative bent and use of surplus materials toward new ends affirm a sense of human agency in the face of ecological loss...
