Valerie Sparks: Le Vol

Inspired by the 19thC French Scenic wallpaper Le Bresil by Desfossé, this work brings together birds from the collections of various natural history museums. The French term Le Vol translates as flight, flying, theft, robbery, burglary. For the birds in this work, life and flight have been stolen. Where as collecting practices have changed dramatically, as implied in the title, the work raises questions about early collecting practices as acts of theft.