Architecture by Birds and Insects – A Natural Art - Hardcover

Macnamara, Peggy

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0226500977 ISBN 13: 9780226500973

Publisher: University of Chicago Press, 2008

Synopsis

Architect Philip Johnson once mused, "All architecture is shelter; all great architecture is the design of space that contains, cuddles, exalts, or stimulates the persons in that space." But with just a small swap of a key word, Johnson could well have been describing animal nests. Birds and insects are nature's premier architects, using a dizzying array of talents to build functional homes in which to live, reproduce, and care for their young. Recycling sticks, branches, grass, and mud to construct their shelters, they are undoubtedly the originators of "green architecture."A visual celebration of these natural feats of engineering and ingenuity, "Architecture by Birds and Insects" allows readers a peek inside a wide range of nests, offering a rare opportunity to get a sense of the materials and methods used to build them. Inspired by the vast nest collection at the Field Museum, Chicago, which features specimens gathered throughout North and South America, Peggy Macnamara's paintings are enhanced by text written by museum curators. This narrative provides a foundation in natural history for each painting, as well as fascinating anecdotes about the nests and their builders.Like so many natural treasures, nests are easy to ignore. But Macnamara's gorgeous paintings will undoubtedly change that. "Architecture by Birds and Insects" at last gives the tiniest engineers their rightful moment in the spotlight, and in so doing increases awareness and encourages the protection of birds, insects, and their habitats. Readers will never look at a Frank Gehry design, or a treetop nest, the same way again.

About this title

About the Author

Peggy Macnamara is adjunct associate professor at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago; artist-in-residence and associate of the zoology program at the Field Museum; instructor at the Field Museum, Chicago Public Libraries Nature Connection, and Art Institute family programs; and author of Illinois Insects and Spiders, also published by the University of Chicago Press.

Edition details

• Publisher: University of Chicago Press
• Publication date: 2008
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0226500977
• ISBN 13: 9780226500973
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 128