An excerpt from Bird Band
by Oereishi Aeoma
“Did you ask the bird? Every creature deserves a voice. To ignore that is to court arrogance. To right our mistakes, we must create space while exercising care and respect. Acting thoughtlessly, forcing our will upon others, is not the way of civility.
As humans, we have enough problems among ourselves to address. If we do so with care, all around us can flourish. But when we ignore what we have learned, we stunt our growth.”
…
“For your research to be ethical, the bird must be an informed and willing participant. Force and trickery are unnecessary. Instead, love and perspective are essential. With both, one naturally heals and aligns with what the cosmos have designed.”
…
Perceptive Perspective
Friend,
befriend me
Do so amicably
You’ll peer further in
Every heart, pristine or awry, offers
A perceptive perspective
Wisps of clarity
Clear as the day and night sky,
like stars that brighten and shine
Empathize and reunite
While at it,
ask the bird to describe their plight
…
Bird Band was born from reflecting on bird banding ethics. Oereishi intentionally wrote from the bird’s perspective to restore voice. The story imagines a conservation culture rooted in consent, empathy, and harmonic co-existence.
eco-conspiracies exhibition at the GALLERIES on DOWNING
420 North Downing Street, Denver Colorado 80218
DATES: March 1 – April 30, 2026
An immersive installation sharing stories of creative restoration work by practitioners within the Creature Conserve community interspersed with local artists’ multi-disciplinary approaches of re-inhabiting conservation.
CON: with
SPIRE: to Breathe
The idea of eco–conspiracies grows from the idea that we breathe together with plants. As the foundation of ecological webs, native and bioregional appropriate plants serve to restore habitats, especially through the tight urban spaces where most of us dwell. Opening space for contemplative practice, we invite visitors to slow down and breathe with surrounding plants in our spheres, practice creative acts of sci/art conservation, and share seeds and their stories with neighbors to pass regenerative acts forward.
Using Art to Bring Wildlife Conservation Closer to Home
Broadening perceptions of ‘home’ to include outdoors spheres around our lived-in structures, we encourage deepened relationships with non-human species who dwell with us in the urban corridors we call home, thinking of ways we may increase connectivity across Denver’s communities.
VOICES 