Spectral Birds Endemic to New Zealand Find New Life in Fiona Pardington's Portraits

"While they are actual specimens, captured in atmospheric light and exhibiting unique plumage and expressions, there's something a little bit uncanny about them. Are they real? In a sense, yes, but they're no longer alive. Some no longer even exist. For Pardington, who is of Māori and Scottish descent, natural history specimens provide a unique and striking look at nature."

"Pardington's series also develops through a literary lens, especially in relation to the poetic works of Dante, who situates Purgatory on an island-mountain in the Southern Hemisphere in the Divine Comedy. The concept of crossing over from one realm to another is mirrored in the uncanniness of preserved animals in vitrines, illustrating the diversity of life while no longer possessing it."

"Some birds, like the huia and whēkau (laughing owl), are long extinct; many others remain critically vulnerable. Pardington's images, set in museums, harken back to an earlier era of collecting, when egg-hunters and birders would seek prized specimens only to kill them and preserve them for posterity."

Fiona Pardington, a Māori and Scottish artist, creates striking large-scale photographs of bird specimens housed in New Zealand natural history collections. Her series Taharaki Skyside features native birds including the Fiordland penguin, South Island Takahe, and Tūī, capturing their unique plumage and biological characteristics in atmospheric light. The work develops through literary connections to Dante's Divine Comedy, exploring themes of crossing between realms and the uncanny nature of preserved specimens. Many featured birds are extinct or critically vulnerable, including the huia and whēkau. Pardington's photographs reference historical collecting practices where specimens were killed and preserved, raising questions about conservation, mortality, and humanity's relationship with nature.

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