Big news! My artwork is available as bird-safe window films.
Have you ever been enjoying a cup of coffee while soaking up the sunshine pouring in from the window next to you when a bird, seemingly on a suicide mission, slams into the glass at full force? This is not a rare occurrence. Bird-window collisions are one of the leading causes of bird fatalities. Up to one billion birds die annually in the US alone from flying into reflective glass.
During my 2016 artist residency at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History, I learned a great deal about this problem, including how the loss in bird populations impacts us – birds aid in pest control, pollinate plants, disperse seeds, and more.
This problem can be prevented by installing bird-safe windows or window films that break up the reflection on glass that’s fatal to these creatures. But here’s the rub, in my personal opinion, most of the products currently available on the market are quite frankly not that attractive. One particular variety, vertical stripes, is effective but also will make your windows resemble a jail cell. Nothing I’m aware of offers much aesthetic value. However, as of yesterday, that’s no longer the case.
I’ve shared my pattern featuring six species of high-risk birds with Decorative Films, a company already in the bird-safety window film business. They’ve fabricated the pattern into two varieties of window films – one is a subtle design of a transparent soft gray where the negative space of the pattern is clear film for minimal obstruction of your view; the other is in full color for privacy and maximum window pizazz (click the photos below to be taken to the corresponding product).
I can’t wait to see these installed in homes and commercial buildings. If you’re a Pittsburgh customer, I hope you’ll consider getting in touch with me at ashley (at) ashleycecil (dot) com so I can connect you with the BirdSafe Pittsburgh coordinator – they’re looking for building owners willing to offer their home or commercial property for bird-window collision monitoring before and after the films are installed.
Please share your thoughts on the films and share the films with friends!