Through the Opera Glass
In Through the Opera Glass, Stijn Terpstra explores how birds become data, and what this reveals about how we observe the world.
His project combines photography, found footage, and data visualizations to visually investigate how they are counted, followed and analysed as data. The title refers to an early birdwatcher's guide, but here, it’s not binoculars bringing nature closer—it’s technology. We see the different stages of the birds’ lifecycle: how they are followed by GPS, watched through webcams, and bred through the use of genetic technology. They symbolize freedom, yet become part of a system of control and measurement. Terpstra exposes the thin line between observing and surveilling, between admiring nature and seeking to control it. With this work he shows how technology deeply infiltrates ecology, turning even natural bird behavior into endless streams of data.
