London-based artist Claire Brewster uses discarded and out of date maps and atlases to produce these delicate paper cutouts of nature. Each final artwork is pinned directly to the wall and the light that shines through gives each piece a three-dimensional quality.
Her inspiration comes from nature that is present everywhere, even in very urban environments, and she says that her “birds, insects and flowers transcend borders and pass freely between countries with scant regard for rules of immigration or the effects of biodiversity.”
Each paper animal has a personality that emerges both from gestures as well as the selected map patterns that cover the paper. A flock of birds, flapping their wings and interacting with each other, an eagle swooping in on its prey, and the expanded wings of an Africa bee are just some of the creatures featured in Brewster’s collection. Through this work, the artist gives new life to old, unwanted items and gives “new life to the obsolete.”
