I usually post from my carolyn-black.co.uk website so this is a first for Flow Contemporary Arts.
I want to explore nesting – what does it mean to people? It’s one of those concepts that has a myriad of interpretations. Russian dolls. Birds. Mammals. Parents. Stacking things. Incubation. Settling.
Wiki offers a few ideas – some I have not seen before. Today I will start with the most obvious one, just to ease my mind into the theme:
A nest is a place of refuge to hold an animal’s eggs or provide a place to live or raise offspring. They are usually made of some organic material such as twigs, grass, and leaves; or may simply be a depression in the ground, or a hole in a tree, rock or building. Human-made materials, such as string, plastic, cloth, hair or paper, may also be used.
It’s easy to think about nesting today – working from home, in a warm house, heavy frost outside. Winter is a good time to think towards the spring, when nesting is easier to conceive of.
A search for the words nesting and flow together comes up with an intriguing article by Ben J. Rushbrook & Megan L. Head &
Ioanna Katsiadaki & Iain Barber:
Flow regime affects building behaviour and nest structure in sticklebacks
I have no knowledge of sticklebacks and their breeding habits. But some of the information in the article really makes me think, such as this:
Within flowing water treatments, we find that males select nesting sites with lower than average flow. We also find that nests built in flowing water are smaller and more streamlined than those built in still water.
Are people the same? I live by the River Severn, I find the constant ebb and flow of the tidal estuary calms me, excites me, I feel engaged with the landscape. My sister has moved to live by the sea. We have no need to nest for breeding purposes, but we do appreciate streamlining our nests.
Flow and nesting are upmost in my mind. I welcome your thoughts on them too – literally, poetically, madly, deeply, metaphorically……..
Carolyn Black 