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Like many others during the early stages of the coronavirus pandemic, Jason Sargenti, an architect based in New York, shifted his focus inwards. He dedicated his efforts to art, to offer optimism and comfort during the shared period of confinement.
Originally intending to repurpose discarded birdhouses for songbirds in his upstate NY community, Sargenti's plan evolved into creating exhibition pieces inspired by fantasy. His latest collection and subsequent exhibition titled The Architect's Birdhouses is set to be showcased at the PHX Gallery in Chicago, USA, from August 31 - September 13, 2023. The collection consists of eight unique birdhouses namely, 'Manhattan,' 'Patrick,' 'Vermonter,' 'Flamingo,' 'Temperance,' 'Damrack,' 'Atlanta,' and 'Laura,' that symbolise architecture and design while referencing pop culture.
Founded in 2014 by the French-American duo Carly and Joachim Lapôtre, the art gallery's mission involves curating unconventional assortments. Sargenti holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from The New York State College of Ceramics at Alfred University and a Master of Architecture from the Rhode Island School of Design. He is an expert in various fields, including project management, building technology, and projects catering to sustainable designs.
Taking inspiration from life-size brass palm trees, the 1988 fantasy horror comedy movie Beetlejuice, and the Memphis 'Flamingo' side table, these birdhouses were conceived against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic, utilising a limited range of materials. "The motivation for making these birdhouses came from a desire to provide some contrast in my surroundings. Initially, I would purchase ugly birdhouses and renovate them. My plan included distributing them to open fields around my rural Upstate NY community, to provide homes for songbirds. Eventually, those were all either stolen or used as target practice by the locales. The proceeding iterations, made during quarantine, were less for distribution to a hostile community and more to maintain my own sanity. The resulting constructions are fantasies, speculations and inspiration that continue a discourse in speculative design," Sargenti explains.
The 'Manhattan' birdhouse takes cues from the iconic AT&T building conceived by American architect Philip Johnson in NYC. It features a 16-inch long building facade that juts out from the birdhouse, much like the front of a Hollywood movie set. Painted in pink with blue-grey stencilling, the avian interpretation of the AT&T building stands tall and sturdy.
Meanwhile, the 'Patrick' birdhouse pays tribute to the extravagant, life-sized brass palm trees found at the Austrian Travel Agency headquarters in Austria, which Austrian architect and designer Hans Hollein originally conceived. Featuring an arched top, the birdhouse's lilac body provides the backdrop for two sandpaper-textured columns painted in an earthy hue. These columns serve as trunks for the crafted, brass palm trees. Adorning the trunks are shiny silver rings, and the palms themselves are capped with teal rectangles positioned under them, reminiscent of grand art-deco flowerpots.
The 'Vermonter' birdhouse is a homage to Tim Burton's film Beetlejuice, starring Alec Baldwin and Catherine O'Hara. It embodies Sargenti's interpretation of the iconic house renovated by the Deetz family from the film, known for its fearless Postmodern taste. The designer was inspired by the satire of the influx of new money altering the local landscape, akin to a bulldozer he witnessed in his home state of Vermont.
The 'Flamingo' birdhouse offers a creative reinterpretation of the iconic Memphis Group's 'Flamingo' side table designed by Michele de Lucchi. Sargenti remodelled the side table while retaining all its original components, into a Z-shaped silhouette resembling a flamingo, showcasing a revitalisation of radical design traditions.
The 'Temperance' birdhouse draws inspiration from a flyer associated with the dance club, The Hacienda, located in Manchester, UK, and operated by the Factory Records label. Designed as a cross intersecting with a caution sign, and featuring bold yellow and black oblique stripes, Sargenti reconfigured the caution sign into a Christian Cross, incorporating three perches on its facade, alluding to the Christian doctrine of the Trinity—the unity of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit within one Godhead.
Inspired by the grandeur of the 1987 Galleria Mall in Georgia, the 'Atlanta' birdhouse features a massive green marbleised pedestal reminiscent of stone. Atop this pedestal rests a golden egg, symbolising fertility, set against the backdrop of a dollar-green Inca temple.
The 'Damrack' birdhouse is a whimsical sanctuary for songbirds with vibrant blue paint on sandpaper. Echoing the aesthetics of the Memphis Group, it boasts an asymmetrical design akin to its furniture designs. Two columns frame the temple's entrance, showcasing a blend of cylinders, cubes, and spheres in delightful imbalance. These columns support an Italian Carrara marble-inspired pediment, blending the elements from the past and present of Italian design.
In contrast, the 'Laura' birdhouse exhibits a spherical facade with a huge, geometric relief of three overlapping beige, grey, burgundy, and brown stripes. Unlike others in the collection, this birdhouse includes two bird doors, implying cohabitation or a bustling avian abode with entry and exit points.
Sargenti's art exhibition embodies the postmodern dilemma of respecting tradition while breaking the rules, to unleash fresh design perspectives. His birdhouse installations are more than artistic expressions—they reflect his architectural, design, and musical influences, intertwining various inspirations into a harmonious postmodern whole that bridges the past, present, and future.
Jason Sargenti's 'The Architect's Birdhouses' is on view from August 31 - September 13, 2023, at the PHX Gallery in Chicago, USA.
(Text by Irene Joseph Chiramel, intern at STIR)
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