"Migrations" depicts a migratory bird. This installation invites contemplation on the beauty and struggle of human and animal migration.
Dimensions: 19.5’ tall, 42’ wide, 16.5’ deep
Materials: Steel, Architectural Fabric
Lead Artist: Olivia Guethling - GuildWorks
Lead Design: Mar Ricketts - GuildWorks
Engineering & Metal Fabrication: Trevor Blackann - GuildWorks
LED System Design: Mikele Schnitman
Interactive Experience Design: Invisible Thread
Content & Storytelling: Reese Bowes
LED Programming & Patterns: Goodbeast
LED Patterns: Kris Northern
Project Contact: olivia@guildworks.com
Common Swifts migrate over 5,000 miles each season. Geese travel up to 3,000 miles and can find their exact birthplace. Born in Alaska, the Golden Plover can navigate over 3,000 miles nonstop to Hawaii without guidance from its parents. Their ability to find Hawaii in the Pacific Ocean still mystifies biologists. Over half of all animal species migrate — and they do so for a myriad of reasons.
Humans are no different. Human movement patterns date back approximately 2 million years ago when Homo Erectus spread throughout most of Africa. They were followed by Homo sapiens reaching almost every part of the world, migrating by foot, over approximately 10,000 generations within 250,000 years. Every step these early humans took is directly connected to all of us today. We are all descendants of migrating humans. In 2019, 272 million people migrated, crossing borders for a myriad of reasons.
Limited mobility may significantly impact our ability to stay resilient despite rapid changes to our collapsing climate. We dream of a habitable earth where all living creatures can find and make a home.
"Migrations" premiered at Burning Man 2023
"Migrations" was designed, build, fabricated and made possible by GuildWorks, LLC
Photos by Fredrik Bergstrom
Our Philosophy
Building empathy and awareness for migration is the core intention of our installation. We hope that participants walk away with new perspectives on migration, memories of their own movements, and a sense of awe - the same awe one has when mesmerized by the beauty of a large swarm of birds, school of fish or herd of bison.