What disappearing birds are trying to tell us | Pippin Frisbie-Calder | TEDxBatonRouge

Nearly three billion birds have disappeared from North America over the past fifty years, a loss that data alone has not been enough to drive action on. In this TEDxBatonRouge talk, Louisiana visual artist and environmental printmaker Pippin Frisbie-Calder examines why people struggle to act on what they already know. The talk opens with the call of the extinct Ivory-billed Woodpecker and argues for art as an underused tool in the climate response.

• Nearly three billion North American birds lost in fifty years
• Why statistics about species loss often fail to prompt action
• Art, printmaking and collaboration with researchers as a way to convey extinction
• Opens with the call of the extinct Ivory-billed Woodpecker

Nearly three billion birds have disappeared from North America in the past fifty years. The data is overwhelming, and somehow it isn't moving us fast enough. Pippin Frisbie-Calder has spent her career asking why we struggle to act on what we already know, and what art can do about it. Working at the intersection of printmaking, ecological science, and advocacy, she uses large-scale installations and collaborations with researchers to transform statistics about species loss into experiences people can feel. Her talk opens with a sound that no longer exists, the call of the extinct Ivory-billed Woodpecker, and builds a case for art as one of the most underused tools in the climate response. Pippin Frisbie-Calder is a visual artist and environmental printmaker based in Louisiana whose large-scale woodcuts, silkscreen prints, and immersive installations bring the threatened ecosystems of the Gulf South into galleries, classrooms, and public spaces. She collaborates closely with scientists and conservation organizations, including the Audubon Society, to translate research into art that is both visually compelling and urgently relevant. Her artist residencies have included the Louisiana State University Veterinary Teaching Hospital and A Studio in the Woods in New Orleans. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx