Patterns & Parallels: The Great Imperative to Survive
An Exhibition by Dr. Roberta Bondar
Patterns & Parallels: The Great Imperative to Survive is an exhibition of selected high-resolution images from the project, Space for Birds. By integrating three perspectives of migratory bird corridors—space, aerial and surface—this global, emotional story encourages ethical protection of fragile, endangered, and threatened avian species and the habitats they need to survive. It infuses the creative, artistic elements of the natural world with the energy of curiosity for things that science attempts to understand. In this exhibition, three endangered and threatened migratory birds that cross international boundaries – the Whooping Crane, the Lesser Flamingo, and the Piping Plover – are footholds in a new consciousness of the natural world that is completely exposed to the Earth within, and the universe beyond. Sustainability of life means understanding the complexities of integrating the natural world with one that is of human construct. To protect life that cannot protect itself from human impact and the challenges of climate change, we must engage ethically in lives beyond our own to find meaning for our own.