By Sonoma Booth ang Avery Hong
“Birds On A Wire” by Banksy
“Birds On A Wire” painted by Banksy, has a lot of meaning to unpack. A symbol displayed in this is respect, the birds on the right side do not respect the African bird who is all alone because of where it comes from. All five birds are united together to fight against the unique bird from somewhere else. Migration usually occurs when birds or other animals want to get away from the cold weather, with immigration it is typically in search of a better life with more opportunities. This a reference to a racist argument about immigrants taking jobs and recourses that was once theirs or the five birds in this case. Another note is that the point of view shown is straight ahead meaning that it has not a lot of other complications to it. The lighting shown is also bland and boring with no in-depth details other than what we see on the surface. There is a complete lack of respect that brings in the factor of racism which shows visually that the birds are in a smooth, white sanded box, which is a way of thinking or showing idealism. The group of birds are not colourful at all, they’re mainly grey and black showing a sad, stale, and dull community amongst them. With the African bird, it is small but beautiful and full of colours like blue and green showing a more vibrant and happy side to it even if it is all alone. The bird came from Africa probably looking for a new beginning until they came across this group of birds. When I look at this picture, I see a separation between all of the birds. With one group of birds fighting for what’s theirs, and the one lonely and colourful African bird just trying to fit in with them. Clearly both birds have different points of view that they’re seeing, almost as if they are two worlds apart from each other.