
Eastern Birds
Three new painted ceiling panels for an apartment at the Carlyle Hotel - New York.
A stylized coffered ceiling, with indigenous Eastern U.S birds. A collaboration with William Cullum / Thomas Jayne at JDS - NYC.
"Eastern Birds" was executed at the Amsterdam studio.
Installed in New York City in 2023.

.

Lay-out for a Carlyle ceiling
.

"Cycling or walking through the centre of Amsterdam on late winter nights, I sometimes hear the sound of wild geese crossing over, in the darkness high above the city.
Like sounds from a parallel universe. .
It's a deeply cherished phenomenon for me."
.

.

.
All these birds here in the center of Manhattan would consider the Hudson River woodlands as their natural habtat.

.

.
Graphically stylized and almost abstract, yet executed in subtle limestone hues, giving it all a “life” touch, and warm light.
The inner squares are like islands of detail and colour; sky, birds and ornaments, set like gems in a vast grid structure .
It was the great insight of William Cullum at JDS-NYC that this design with some adjustments, might also function on a smaller scale at this Carlyle Hotel apartment..
And it does .. brilliantly so ..
.

.

.

some are open, some are closed
.

.

.
I think using indigenous U.S birds might be a good idea, as there is such a simple and elegant sense of logic to it.
Amsterdam 17th c. bird ceilings – a genre of which I’m currently installing a new interpretation in a 1670's canalhouse monument - would often show a mix of tropical and local birds, thereby reflecting a sense of wealth, international orientation and the far reaching influence of Dutch military and colonial power. . . Later that would shift to an early scientific Natural History approach .
Today, when almost everybody is a cosmopolitan in some sort of way, I think using a specific selection of native birds has (re)gained a different meaning. From the perspective of preservation. . but also as a sense of “belonging” and "locality". .
"Cycling or walking through the centre of Amsterdam on late winter nights, I sometimes hear the sound of wild geese crossing over in the darkness high above the city. Like sounds from a parallel universe. .
It's a deeply cherished phenomenon for me. ...."
Best from Amsterdam
P

.

.

some are open, some are closed
.

.

First Iphone pictures of the installed ceiling.
.

First Iphone pictures of the installed ceiling
Walls by Pierre Finkelstein
.

.

.

of the Carlyle tower at nightfall.
.

.

.

.

.

.