The Aviary
Build a towering world of cardboard birds, giant feathers, and flight.
The Set Up
Start by cutting out giant bird shapes from large sheets of cardboard. Don't worry about getting them perfect... wonky wings and oversized beaks are part of the charm. You're building an aviary, and aviaries are meant to be big, layered, and full of life! You'll also want to cut some giant feather shapes to hang alongside the birds. At Smudge, we use metal stands and fishing line to hang the pieces, but you could drape them from a clothesline, tape them to a wall, or string them between two chairs. Whatever works in your space.
For the real feathers, thread about four or five onto a length of fishing line so they hang down in a single line, like a little feathery drop piece. They twist and twirl beautifully. We normally hang four or five of these across the wall and down at different heights, and it creates this gorgeous textured backdrop that really brings the whole installation to life.
The Making
Set out paint, brushes, and collage materials and let artists go to town on their cardboard birds and feathers. Big, bold brush strokes work beautifully because the pieces are large enough to really get into.
If you're running this over multiple sessions, even better... the aviary will just keep evolving. Hang the cardboard birds and feather drop pieces at varying heights to create a wonderful sense of movement and depth, like walking through a real aviary. You could also pop on some bird call sounds in the background if you want the full experience!
Variations
Scale it down by hanging pieces from a single branch propped in a vase for a tabletop aviary.
You could also make it a collaborative mural on a large wall instead of a hanging installation.
Materials
• Large sheets of cardboard
• Cardboard scissors (Fiskars are our favourite)
• Real feathers, the bigger the better, plus smaller ones for the drop pieces
• Fishing line for threading feather drop pieces and hanging birds
• Metal stands, string, or a clothesline for hanging
• Poster or tempera paints
• Big brushes and sponges
• Collage materials (tissue paper, foil, fabric scraps)
• Tape and glue
• Drop cloth to protect the floor
• Optional: bird call sound effects for atmosphere
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The Aviary
Build a towering world of cardboard birds, giant feathers, and flight.
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Installations
The Set Up
Start by cutting out giant bird shapes from large sheets of cardboard. Don't worry about getting them perfect... wonky wings and oversized beaks are part of the charm. You're building an aviary, and aviaries are meant to be big, layered, and full of life! You'll also want to cut some giant feather shapes to hang alongside the birds. At Smudge, we use metal stands and fishing line to hang the pieces, but you could drape them from a clothesline, tape them to a wall, or string them between two chairs. Whatever works in your space.
For the real feathers, thread about four or five onto a length of fishing line so they hang down in a single line, like a little feathery drop piece. They twist and twirl beautifully. We normally hang four or five of these across the wall and down at different heights, and it creates this gorgeous textured backdrop that really brings the whole installation to life.
The Making
Set out paint, brushes, and collage materials and let artists go to town on their cardboard birds and feathers. Big, bold brush strokes work beautifully because the pieces are large enough to really get into.
If you're running this over multiple sessions, even better... the aviary will just keep evolving. Hang the cardboard birds and feather drop pieces at varying heights to create a wonderful sense of movement and depth, like walking through a real aviary. You could also pop on some bird call sounds in the background if you want the full experience!
Variations
Scale it down by hanging pieces from a single branch propped in a vase for a tabletop aviary.
You could also make it a collaborative mural on a large wall instead of a hanging installation.
Materials
• Large sheets of cardboard
• Cardboard scissors (Fiskars are our favourite)
• Real feathers, the bigger the better, plus smaller ones for the drop pieces
• Fishing line for threading feather drop pieces and hanging birds
• Metal stands, string, or a clothesline for hanging
• Poster or tempera paints
• Big brushes and sponges
• Collage materials (tissue paper, foil, fabric scraps)
• Tape and glue
• Drop cloth to protect the floor
• Optional: bird call sound effects for atmosphere
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Thoughts?
Would love to hear if youv'e tried this or have any ideas on how to make it even better!
