For the Birds

2013, 4:38 min, color, sound, HD video

In For the Birds, a charming yet sharp critique of the banality and repetition of everyday life, Kahn draws two animated birds on screen. The birds perch motionless in a tree discussing their disaffection with everyday responsibilities—getting gas, folding towels, doing dishes, "grooming in general"—and imagining the activities with which they would prefer to spend their time: quilting, skiing, scuba diving, reading. The birds' words appear as text above their heads, effecting a dry, silent humor, while crudely animated bombs, axes, arrows, and other weapons fall past them, reflecting society's simultaneous anxieties about mass violence and its apathetic and jaded attitude toward actual global crises.

 
 

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This work is HD video and must be shown with a 16:9, HD display.
High-Definition Video Guide