Drawing inspiration from the word squish, Perrigo explores this oddly humorous action through the unsettling lens of bird strikes. She uses humor as an entry point to make the devastating issue of bird population decline more accessible. Her work enacts the act of squishing in multiple forms: oil paint pressed between panes of glass, viewers squeezed between suspended layers of her installation, and the haunting traces of birds fatally struck by windows.
As viewers move around the installation, their perspective shifts: some angles offer intimate observation of individual bird species, while others align the layered paintings into a compressed visual mass—an undifferentiated, collective squish of specimens. This convergence emphasizes both the individuality and anonymity of avian life lost to human infrastructure.
By positioning common Maine bird species in visually and conceptually compromised states, Perrigo provokes essential contemplation and dialogue surrounding our relationship with birds and advocates for their survival.
Bird’s Eye View // Installation Photos // 2025
Bird’s Eye View // Installation Photos // 2025
Bird’s Eye View // Installation Photos // 2025
Bird’s Eye View // Installation and Detail Photos // 2025
Bird’s Eye View // Installation and Detail Photos // 2025
Bird’s Eye View // Installation and Detail Photos // 2025
Bird’s Eye View: American Goldfinch // Oil paint on two glass panels, lightweight MDF board, masonite panel, screws, eye hooks // 16 in H x 20 in L // 2025
Bird’s Eye View: American Goldfinch (detail) // Oil paint on two glass panels, lightweight MDF board, masonite panel, screws, eye hooks // 16 in H x 20 in L // 2025
Bird’s Eye View: Eastern Bluebird and Mourning Dove // Oil paint on two glass panels, lightweight MDF board, masonite panel, screws, eye hooks // 18 in H x 24 in L // 2025
Bird’s Eye View: Eastern Bluebird and Mourning Dove (detail) // Oil paint on two glass panels, lightweight MDF board, masonite panel, screws, eye hooks // 18 in H x 24 in L // 2025
Bird’s Eye View: American Robin, Black-capped Chickadee, House Finch, and White-throated Sparrow // Oil paint on two glass panels, lightweight MDF board, masonite panel, screws, eye hooks // 22 in H x 28 in L // 2025
Bird’s Eye View: Brown-headed Cowbird, House Finch, and White-throated Sparrow // Oil paint on two glass panels, lightweight MDF board, masonite panel, screws, eye hooks // 18 in H x 24 in L // 2025
Bird’s Eye View: Brown-headed Cowbird, House Finch, and White-throated Sparrow (detail) // Oil paint on two glass panels, lightweight MDF board, masonite panel, screws, eye hooks // 18 in H x 24 in L // 2025
Bird’s Eye View: Black-capped Chickadee, Brown-headed Cowbird, Chipping Sparrow, Eastern Bluebird, Tufted Titmouse, and White-breasted Nuthatch // Oil paint on two glass panels, lightweight MDF board, masonite panel, screws, eye hooks // 22 in H x 28 in L // 2025
Bird’s Eye View: Black-capped Chickadee, Brown-headed Cowbird, Chipping Sparrow, Eastern Bluebird, Tufted Titmouse, and White-breasted Nuthatch (detail) // Oil paint on two glass panels, lightweight MDF board, masonite panel, screws, eye hooks // 22 in H x 28 in L // 2025