Entita
"Home Sweet Home"
MAD Brussels
Sneezing in the forest: The marsh tit’s call often sounds like a small sneeze or a sniffling “pitchou. ” If you spot a small tit with a glossy black cap in a deciduous woodland, it is most likely a marsh tit. The species is territorial, often living in pairs year-round and typically remaining within the same small area throughout its life.
For the curated exhibition Home Sweet Home, which opened at MAD Brussels Museum, I created a birdhouse specifically designed for the marsh tit. The exhibition brings together 80 unique birdhouses by designers from around the world and explores the intersection of design, architecture, and nature. The birdhouse is entirely sculpted by hand from reclaimed wood sourced from local carpenters. The intuitive process allows the unique qualities of each piece of wood to guide the form—an approach that reflects my Craft Punk attitude toward contemporary design, where overlooked materials are transformed into new objects. The house is spray-painted in the marsh tit’s soft beige tone, with a front panel finished in shou sugi ban, giving it a glossy black surface reminiscent of the bird’s own black crown. Small tin embellishments depict silhouettes of insects—a tribute to the marsh tit’s favorite summer food—and reinforce the idea of the birdhouse as both home and sculpture.
Photo credit:
Sam Gilbert
Robert Våhlström
Concept, curation and styling:
Connie Hüsser