A public light installation in response to Chicago’s high rate of migratory bird deaths.

Chicago is considered the deadliest city in the world for migratory birds, with an estimated 200 birds dying each night from colliding into buildings. The alley at 71 S. Wacker Drive is considered one of the worst locations in the city for bird populations – advocates for migratory bird populations have nicknamed this location “Death Alley.”

This alley is between a brick building and a building covered in glass windows, and these features create a disorienting wind tunnel that causes birds to lose their ability to navigate. Birds either fly into the alley’s glass windows or collapse from exhaustion while trying to navigate.

In this installation, I project overlapping videos of starling murmurations. When projected in this spot, the videos create a visual vortex of immersion and disorientation, mirroring the effect of this specific alley on birds. Murmurations are massive groups of birds that gather to cultivate safety from predators, maintain warmth, and share information before resting for the night. They are a visual phenomenon and an important act of self-preservation for bird species.

My intention is for the installation to demonstrate the disorienting and deadly effects of this alley – and the city landscape more broadly – on migratory avian species while also highlighting the beauty and resilience of bird self-preservation efforts.

Photographs by Scott Burgermeister

For more information:

Block Club Chicago: Up To 200 Birds A Night Die Crashing Into McCormick Place Windows. Turning Off Half The Lights Could Save Them, Study Finds

Cornell Chronicle: Chicago tops list of most dangerous cities for migrating birds

WTTW: Chicago is Most Dangerous City for Migratory Birds, Study Finds

Chicago Bird Collision Monitors