Thank U, Nest

Urban environments today are designed to maximize advantages for human life and convenience while causing distress, displacement, and death for other species. We often forget we are not alone in this habitat.

Our sukkah addresses the harmed and displaced wildlife in our city. Traditionally sukkahs act as temporary shelters for human inhabitants to ‘welcome the stranger.’ Thank U, Nest extends this to our avian friends.

Taking the impermanence of the sukkah into account, the droppings and fallen seeds from birdhouses attached to the outer perimeter of the structure will persist long after the sukkah has gone away. The ground, if left to grow wild, would one day again help to feed birds and provide structures on which to build nests.

Thank U, Nest acts to engage with and educate city dwellers who may not be immediately aware of the negative effects of the urban environment on indigenous plant and animal life. By designing a space for both humans and animals, we hope to inspire others to rethink our relationship with nature and help create better ecosystems for cohabitation between animals, plants, and people within our communities. 

Images(s): Copyright a complete unknown, 2021