Adrián Villar Rojas

From the series Brick Farm

2014

The Furnarius, best known as the hornero, is one of Argentina's most iconic national birds. This tiny animal builds its unique nest by using found materials, fashioning a minute, but thick-walled, cave fixed to the higher branches of the typical trees of the Humid Pampa, the central-eastern region of the country. Adrián Villar Rojas took this national architecture as a departure point for the production of a sculptural object that was an imitation of nature.

By returning to the same materials—mud and straw—used by the hornero, Villar Rojas built a new nest by hand, making a direct connection to his work, where he usually built sculptures using clay instead of mud. The Brick Farm—a research camp settled in the outskirts of Rosario inside the property of a traditional brickworks—was the location, both geographically and artistically, that made it possible for this new investigation to take place, reflecting the layered and symbiotic relationships between all living creatures and their environment.

At Fort Tilden, the nests—a number of which could be found along the impressive hills and former batteries—also highlighted the military history of the Fort, which was built to provide protection against a potential aerial and nautical enemy invasion from the ocean.

Rockaway! was made possible through the generous support of Bloomberg Philanthropies, The Rockefeller Foundation and The Secunda Family Foundation with additional support provided by the Moore Charitable Foundation, National Grid and the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation. Special thanks to Volkswagen of America for their past and current support.