Fallen Feathers

- work in progress

As a child I was often told that feathers falling from the sky are ‘angel kisses’; a sign that someone, a loved one who’s passed away, is up there watching over us.

I have always been open to talking about death. It’s part of the world’s natural rhythms. Through this project, my hope is that by connecting a bird’s feather to words about personal grief and loss, more people can open up about the deaths that have affected them. Together, we can take part in a collaborative conversation around the many paths we tread; both in this life and beyond.

The work weaves raw emotion with tangible symbols of life. Images of feathers are made using a flatbed scanner and an image editing programme.

It portrays feathers as gentle symbols of remembrance, renewal and rebirth.

Flux I and II, Summer 2022

We put collected gull feathers on a scanner and left the window open; the wind helped me create new work within a liminal space during the project; an examination of how the states of grief are in constant flux.

(Assistance/inspiration/collaboration on these two pieces from Rory Blair)

Untitled Inverted triptych. Autumn 2022.

This project has been put on indefinite hold due to the recent rise in cases of Avian Influenza (bird flu). Words and stories are still being accepted, but feathers are currently not being collected. Please do not pick up fallen bird feathers if you find them.

If you would like to submit a story, please email me: george.steedmanjones@gmail.com