Reconnect with feathered friends at Leila Jeffreys' Birdland exhibition
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Leila Jeffreys, Nature is not a place to visit video still.
Think you know what a Rose-crowned fruit dove is? Look closer. Contemporary artist Leila Jeffreys has based her practice on exploring the unique characteristics of Australia’s quintessential bird species; the colours of their plumage, the shape of their silhouettes, the curiosity of their gaze. Her upcoming Birdland exhibition at Manly Art Gallery & Museum invites us to reconnect with these feathered friends via her strikingly intimate lens. This series of photographs and video works celebrates the intrigue of birds as both a medium for artistic inspiration, and a reminder of nature’s power to ground us in the present moment.
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Image credit: Cameron Bloom
Birdland is Leila’s first solo show at a public Australian gallery, a glimpse into her creative practice spanning hundreds of different bird species. Through the conventions of portrait photography usually associated with human subject matter, Leila’s life-sized photographs draw the viewer to specific details and attributes rarely noticed when her subjects are encountered in nature. From a regal Peaceful Dove to a charismatic Crested Pigeon, Birdland showcases a selection works from the artist’s High Society (2019) and Ornithurae (2017) series, along with two video works signalling a new direction for the artist.
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Leila Jeffreys, Blue Blossoms
“Birdland features a hero video art piece called Nature Is Not A Place To Visit. It Is Home. This is probably one of my most ambitious works to date,” Leila shares. “We had a huge aviary inside a Sydney studio where we filmed 300 budgerigars. We had to work through a lot of technical challenges around lighting and composition without frightening the birds. The piece is set to a musical score and displayed in a dark room across three screens, so I feel the whole work offers a really emotional experience for people”.
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Leila Jeffreys, Crested Pigeon
Beyond her artistic identify, Leila perceives her role as being a conduit between humans and the natural environment. While working with birds as portrait subjects might seem like an impossible challenge, she connects with the essence of every bird as though it were a human friend or loved one. Leila travels with a mobile photography studio to accommodate different environments where the birds feel most ‘at home’. This may be on site at wildlife rescue organisations, at locations like Taronga Zoo, or even at the homes of people who care for them. Over a decade of experience has taught Leila that the best creative results are achieved when the bird is calm and content.
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Leila Jeffreys, Nature is not a place to visit video still.
“It’s a matter of the birds becoming familiar and comfortable with me and my equipment. Whoever has the strongest bond with the bird – be it a carer or rescuer – will bring the bird onto a perch on set. We then feed them and talk to them, and they start doing ‘birdy’ things. Once the bird is happy and relaxed we start to get the poses”.
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Leila Jeffreys, Charcoal and Ash
Birdland seeks to recreate the beauty of nature that most people miss when rushing around at a frantic pace. The life-sized scale of Leila’s composition invites the viewer to appreciate these creatures as our equals, tapping into a part of the human psyche craving physical and emotional connection. Above all, the exhibition is a reminder of nature’s power to ground us in the present moment, filling us with a deep sense of awe at a time when the world feels rather bleak and uninspiring.
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Leila Jeffreys, Rose-crowned fruit dove
“Nature lives in the now. When you put your phone away and you go for a bushwalk and stop to look up at the trees, you realise it’s not about the past or the future,” the artist says. “I hope that when people see this exhibition they stop thinking about their Instagram account, and just spend a moment looking at these beautiful creatures in a present-moment experience”.
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Leila Jeffreys, Nature is not a place to visit video still.
Sure, we’ve all seen a bird before. But being immersed in Leila’s work is perhaps more moving than a real-time experience where we rarely come close enough to behold their unique qualities. From the striking beauty of their feathered forms, to their mysterious gaze peering deeply into us, viewers are invited to reflect on their own individuality and connection to the natural world.
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Leila Jeffreys, Nature is not a place to visit video still.
“I feel like Birdland showcases the kind of art the world needs right now. It’s a reminder of how powerful nature is, and how it can guide us towards leading more mindful and sympathetic lives”.
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Leila Jeffreys, Topknot Piegon
Birdland is showing at Manly Art Gallery & Museum from 3 April—20 June, 2021.
