BIRD AND WILDLIFE SAFETY

“In more than 20 years of creating net sculptures on 5 continents around the world, we have never had a bird injured or harmed in any way. We have worked with a bio-engineering firm that explained how the physical qualities of our artwork do not meet the criteria that would endanger birds. Our nets are made of thicker twine with wider net openings than those that entrap flying birds or other creatures. Our structures are not unlike naturally occurring vines and thickets often found in local forests, and birds are well adapted to see and avoid these. It is highly unusual for a bird to fly into our net sculptures, but it does occasionally occur, though never has it resulted in harm to any wildlife. For example, our net sculpture in Portugal has been in place since 2004, and there has never been a bird caught in that net, despite its waterfront location being filled with birds. We did have an incident occur in Canada, where in the many years since our net sculpture was first installed for the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics, one bird flew into the net and was removed by the fire department without any harm. Sustainability is at the heart of everything we do, and we remain committed to our mission of creating meaningful art experiences accessible to all people in harmony with nature.” -  Janet Echelman