Flying Pig Productions Home News and Events Web Work writing Yoga Life Coaching whales of guerrero research project Viking Zines Bellycasting Dreamboards Mailing List Nesting Project resumes the basement Surprise Me

kpetunia.com -> Nesting Project

giant nest

The First Nest:
He told me I wasn't the nesting type and then he dumped me. After I got over the heartbreak, I realized that he was right. I didn't know how to nest well at all. And so I built a nest out of sycamore branches that had been pollarded from trees in public spaces all over San Francisco and built a nest big enough to sleep a family of six. I wove in bits of precious to me things - scraps of old lover letters and fortune cookie fortunes I'd held onto for years. Then I invited people to demonstrate nesting for me while I took pictures. People came alone, with their fellow nesters, and with their pets. They brought objects that they used to nest and wore their nesting outfits. People loved being in my nest and so did I. Something happens to people when they climb into it. They get all quiet and content. I liked it with sheepskins and slept in it a few times. I took 72 exposures of 50 families and studied the results. And then I had an art show about it.
Here are my project findings...
And pictures of the show at Ego Park...

 

 

  
baby in giant nest The Exploratorium invited me to bring my nest into the museum and live in it for 24 hours during an art event about living environments. It became a quiet lovely refuge for people as they wandered through the loud chaotic space.

 

human bird in giant nest

 Cirque du Soleil also used my nest for their opening night party. Acrobats, tiny feather adorned circus people and other mystical creatures leapt in and out of it and perched on its rim.

 

 


Giant nest artist

Later, I did an art residency at the Bay Area Discovery Museum and built a second giant nest with the kids. Toddlers to adults got into it and we built a nest which was twice as big as my previous one.


Today, I have finally learned how to nest, after a fashion, but continue to love getting lost in the process of turning a pile of sticks into a sculpture.

Giant nest artistgiant nest sculpture in garden

 

 
baby in giant nest sculpture Sometimes I make nests for people with kids or newborn babies. It is a pretty amazing thing to find a giant nest on your doorstep. They are very comfortable and babies and kids (along with grownups) often end up spending a lot of time in them.

 

I would love to build a nest or other large woven structure for you or your company. I have built small, medium and large nests out of sycamore, grapevines, willow, eucalyptus and other living materials. I would love the opportunity to explore making more abstract shapes and other types of nests, such giant teardrop shaped cacique nests, spheres, and so on. Visit my Etsy Shop to find out more about having a giant nest built, or contact me at k[at]kpetunia.com

Nesting Project Invitation

 

Here are more links to the old nesting project website so that you can have a look around.

Here are nestbuilding pictures.

Here are nesting people.

Here are links to the nesting events.