Watervogels 1654 - 1712

"Watervogels," or "Waterbirds," is an etching by an anonymous artist. Prints like this one were popular during the 17th and 18th centuries, acting as both decorative pieces and as scientific documents which captured the burgeoning European interest in the natural world. But who got to decide what nature was, and who had access to it? Here, we see a cluster of birds in different poses, some wading in water, others in flight. Birds, often seen as symbols of freedom and transcendence, are presented here in a manner that almost feels like specimens pinned for observation. This print invites us to consider our relationship to the environment and our place within it. Think about the emotional distance created when nature is turned into an object of study. It encourages us to reflect on the power dynamics inherent in the act of observation and documentation. How might this influence what we see, and what we overlook?