Sing 2019

Sing, 2019 explores the concept of parallel universes through the metaphor and fragility of the nest. A nest is a multilayered form. On Earth, the nest is a home for numerous species whose societies’ and lives are vastly different from ours. Beyond our blue marble, the nest is a reoccurring theme in science fiction as the breeding place of ‘others’, terrifying in their indifference and intolerance to us.

Recently returning from a residency in the Amazon rainforest, Symons’ was intrigued and fascinated by the precarious suspension of the yellow-rumped cacique nests, hanging above the surface of the flooded forest. The reflection of the birds’ nests against the night sky in the waters below added to the otherworldliness of this place and influenced the creation of these works.

In the exhibition Parallel Universe, Symons’ nests hang from the gallery ceiling, embedded within the fragility of their materiality is superimposed reflections of the night sky, alluding to undiscovered multiverses while also reflecting our own.