Sparrow Project, 2007-2008, wood, vinyl, enamel, feathers, audio, silk-screened prints in sliver ink, participants, handmade and commercial, Mylar balloons, 168” x 720” x 720”, Dominos vary in size from 8 feet to one foot in height.
The Netherlands hosts an annual domino-toppling event, which strives to defeat the previous years’ World Records. The televised event painstakingly documents the preparation of the elaborate domino set-ups. On November 14th 2005, a sparrow flew on the set toppling 23,000 from 4 million dominos. The bird was shot and killed on site. Sparrow Project is and interactive event, which investigates the social, political, and poetic implications of that calamity. Audience members were asked to participate in a set of transactions focusing on a particular moment where they have felt weak, inferior, or over powered. Their experiences are written down on tags and then attached to the string of a Mylar balloon. After a period of time, the balloons become burdened by the weight of the tags forcing the balloons to fall to the ground.