Bird-window collisions on the Ball State University campus : a synthesis of art and biological research

Abstract

Birds cannot sense glass and often collide with it; these collisions are often fatal. On an annual basis, approximately one billion birds fatally collide with windows in the United States alone. I investigated this conservation issue in two parts: 1) a two-year biological research project on the Ball State University campus and 2) an artistic investigation through a series of artwork and subsequent exhibition. Both the biology portion and art section in my thesis are presented here. It is my hope that my data and body of artwork will raise awareness about this problem in bird conservation.