Einar Sira
“I already knew he was dead because there was a dead bird on the front porch this morning. These were the words of my mother after being informed that her brother had passed away.”
Despite working in isolation, artist Einar Sira is well known in his local area as a collector of dead things. Sira works mainly using natural light, his garden pond serves as his studio, sitting for hours at a time waiting for the right mood and atmospheric texture.
His work connects him to the passing of time and his humanity and vulnerability. Water is a metaphor for the river of time that runs through the underworld, but also for the beauty, truth and finality of life.
“One day I found a dead bird in my garden. When I touched it, it still felt warm in my hands. At the time I was battling depression so subconsciously I was drawn to images of death. I placed the bird in my small garden pond and began to photograph it. The resulting images affected me profoundly; speaking to me of mythology, of death and serving as a reminder that many birds were important storytellers in Norwegian mythology.”
Einar Sira lives and works in Sandnes a seaside town on the west coast of Norway.
Images are taken with Hasselblad H5D - 50 C WIFI resulting in exquisite high quality prints.