Gray Vireos (Vireo vicinior) are under-studied, arid-land migratory songbirds that serve as proxies for how we “Other” different bodies and objects as mere commodities. Gray Vireos generally breed in overlooked, remote habitats across the southwestern USA and migrate to rugged nonbreeding sites primarily along the Baja Peninsula and mainland Mexico within the Sonoran Desert. I collected field data on Gray Vireo breeding and migration ecology from 2016-2020 in New Mexico and simultaneously created a body of data-informed work that conflates songbird migration with my gender transition as a queer, transsexual person. The urge to migrate in birds can manifest as a form of abject anxious restlessness (i.e., zugunruhe), induced by the endocrine system (e.g., hormonal changes). Prior to and even during these migrations, migratory songbirds must prepare for their journeys by molting. Molting is a “profound disturbance of endogenous metabolism,” a process wherein animals shed worn tissue (e.g., feathers, hair, and exoskeletons), often prompted by annual life cycle stages such as the transition from breeding season to migration. I use process as memorial to draw parallels between my transition through hormone replacement therapy (i.e., testosterone) and the transition between annual life cycle stages that many migratory songbirds, such as Gray Vireos, undergo. In effect, Gray Vireos and I are molting together.
Silas Fischer. 2020. Photographed at Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge, NM USA. Made in Bowling Green, OH USA. Blown glass.
Silas Fischer. 2020. Photographed at Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge, NM USA. Made in Bowling Green, OH USA. Blown glass.
Silas Fischer. 2020. Photographed at Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge, NM USA. Made in Bowling Green, OH USA. Blown glass.
Silas Fischer. 2020. Photographed at Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge, NM USA. Made in Bowling Green, OH USA. Blown glass.
Silas Fischer. 2019-2020. Photographed at Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge, NM USA. Made in Bowling Green, OH USA. Lost-wax kiln cast glass.
Silas Fischer. 2019-2020. Photographed at Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge, NM USA. Made in Bowling Green, OH USA. Lost-wax kiln cast glass and wildlife trail camera.
Silas Fischer. 2019-2020. Photographed at Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge, NM USA. Made in Bowling Green, OH USA. Lost-wax kiln cast glass and wildlife trail camera.
Silas Fischer. 2019-2020. Photographed at Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge, NM USA. Made in Bowling Green, OH USA. Lost-wax kiln cast glass and wildlife trail camera.
Silas Fischer. 2019-2020. Photographed at Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge, NM USA. Made in Bowling Green, OH USA. Lost-wax kiln cast glass.
Silas Fischer. 2019-2020. Photographed at Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge, NM USA. Made in Bowling Green, OH USA. Lost-wax kiln cast glass and wildlife trail camera.
For two years (2014-2016) I conducted independent scientific research to investigate bird collisions with windows on the Ball State University campus. This research is based on the fact that approximately one billion birds collide with glass structures annually. Birds are essentially unable to sense glass and frequently collide with it; these collisions are often fatal. From August 2014 through May 2016, I collected 158 bird carcasses representing 46 species from 18 families.
Silas Fischer and Thomas Williamson. Muncie, IN, USA, 2016. Waxed glass plate intaglio prints, woodcut print, museum specimens (birds killed by window collisions), cast glass, ash.
Silas Fischer. Muncie, IN, USA. 2016. Inked glass intaglio plates.
Silas Fischer and Thomas Williamson. 2016. Waxed glass plate intaglio prints, woodcut print, museum specimens (birds killed by window collisions), cast glass, ash
Silas Fischer and Thomas Williamson. 2016. Waxed glass plate intaglio prints, woodcut print, museum specimens (birds killed by window collisions), cast glass, ash
Silas Fischer. Muncie, IN, USA, 2016. Glass plate intaglio prints and letterpress in hand-bound book.
Silas Fischer. Muncie, IN, USA, 2016. Glass etching on okawara.
Data: Seiurus aurocapilla
Ball State Campus, Recreation and Wellness Center: East side
Collected 05 May 2015, 09:20
Silas Fischer. Muncie, IN, USA, 2016. Glass etching and beeswax on okawara paper.
Silas Fischer. Muncie, IN, USA, 2015. Glass etching on paper.
Silas Fischer. Muncie, IN, USA, 2016.
Silas Fischer. Muncie, IN, USA, 2016. Glass plate intaglio prints and letterpress in hand-bound book.
Silas Fischer. Muncie, IN, USA, 2016. Glass etching on paper.
Data: Toxostoma rufum
Ball State Campus, Bracken Library: South side
Collected 20 September 2015, 09:52
Silas Fischer. Muncie, IN, USA. 2017. Etching on paper.
Edition 1/10
Silas Fischer. Muncie, IN, USA, 2016. Etching on paper.
Edition 2/5.
Silas Fischer. Muncie, IN, USA, 2016. Etching on paper.
Silas Fischer. Muncie, IN, USA, 2016. Woodcut print on paper.
A/P; Edition: 5
Silas Fischer. Muncie, IN, USA, 2016. Woodcut print on paper.
Silas Fischer. Muncie, IN, USA, 2016. Woodcut print on paper.
Edition 1/5
Silas Fischer. Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge, La Joya, NM, USA, 2018. Linoleum print.
Edition TBA
Silas Fischer. Muncie, IN, USA, 2013. Watercolor and ink on paper.
Silas Fischer. Detroit, MI, USA, 2013. Ink on paper.
Silas Fischer. Muncie, IN, USA, 2018. China marker on paper.
Silas Fischer. Muncie, IN, 2018. China marker on paper.
Silas Fischer. Muncie, IN, 2018. Pencil on paper.
Silas Fischer. Toledo, OH, USA, 2018. Pencil on paper.
Silas Fischer. Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge, La Joya, NM, USA, 2018. China marker on paper.
Silas Fischer. Muncie, IN, USA, 2013. Serigraph on paper.
Permanent collection: Ball State University.
Edition 1/10
Silas Fischer. Muncie, IN, USA, 2016. Blown glass with ink and oil paint.
Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge, NM, USA. 2018.
Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge, NM, USA. 2018.
Toledo, OH, USA, 2018. Sketchbook.
Oak Harbor, OH, USA, 2018. Sketchbook.
Muncie, IN, 2018. Sketchbook.
Albuquerque, NM, USA, 2018.
La Joya, NM, USA, 2018.
NM, USA, 2018.
