wrote:
> I am an artist & design academic developing an (unusual?) artwork for
> the Melbourne Festival (mid October to early November) which will
> involve the making of a large sculpture with approximately 750kilos of
> bird seed (something like a giant birdy-bell). It will be placed on grass at
> the corner of Flinders and Swanston streets to be slowly (or quickly)
> eaten away over the three week duration of the festival. I expect it will
> easily attract a lot of pigeons, and probably a bit of media attention. I
> plan to make a time elapse film capturing the birds eating away the
> sculpture.
>
> Interestingly enough I notice that Birds Australia ?Bird Week? coincides
> with the festival.
>
> I have a few queries which I hope readers of this list may be able to assist
> me with, or be able to direct me further.
>
> 1. I would like the sculpture to attract a range of birds if possible ?
> particularly indigenous birds. I plan to use a variety of seed ? pannicum,
> millet, milo / sorghum, wheat and sunflower. What birds do you think I
> might expect to attract? Any suggestions on how I might get the
> pigeons to move aside and best attract indigenous birds (eg those
> migrating at the time?)
>
> I believe that it is standard practice for birdy-bell manufacturers to use
> a diluted PVA glue (standard wood-working or craft glue) to bind
> together seed into larger shapes (casein for smaller shapes). I am
> told that the PVA on the husk ?goes through as roughage?, or some
> birds eat only the seed kernal after de-husking it. Can you offer - or
> advise me as to how I might gain ? confirmation that PVA (poly-vinyl-
> acetate) will not have negative effects on birds who may encounter
> it. I beleive it is the chloride in Vinyl (ie PVC - poly-vinyl-choride)
> which is the risk.
>
> Thanks for your time, and hope you may be able to assist me.
>
> _________________________________
>
>
>
Leaving aside problems associated with feeding birds (addressed by Ian Temby),
a non-toxic edible glue that would be preferable to PVA is starch dextrin glue
which is used by bookbinders. I enquired about it a year ago and Nordale in
West
Heidelberg (phone 9459 5211) will sell a minimum of 20 litres. For smaller
amounts (not that you would want a small amount for your project) you could try
contacting a bookbinder such as Trio Bookbinders in Huntingdale (phone 9544
5611).
Hope that helps,
Merrilyn Serong
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