Bio
Bobby Haskell uses sculpture installations to create habitat in places that have been ecologically degraded by human activity. Their work combines traditional sculpture techniques with emerging conservation methods to explore new possibilities for nature in the built environment. Haskell holds a BFA in sculpture from The University of the Arts in Philadelphia, and an MPhil in human ecology from the College of the Atlantic in Maine. They currently work in both the Germantown neighborhood of Philadelphia and on the coast of Downeast Maine, drawing their inspiration from both environments. They show their work nationally, and their public sculpture work can be found at the Dorr Museum of Natural History, the Davistown Museum Sculpture Garden, and on the campus of Southern Maine Community College.
Artist Statement
My current work incorporates habitat for plants and animals into sculpture installations. I site these installations in cities and other developed areas to help heal degraded ecosystems, and to create novel ways for city residents to connect to the nature that surrounds them. Exploring these relationships through sculpture can open living windows to potential futures, and become potent examples of the human-made and the natural accommodating each other and thriving. The real-world functionality of these pieces as habitat allows me to both explore environmental issues artistically and take direct action in the present. My current projects explore the use of decaying wood, developing bioreceptive concrete mixtures to grow mosses and other epiphytes, and sculpting complex forms that can shelter nesting animals. By exploring habitat through the lens of sculpture, I hope to contribute new ideas and learn new lessons that can be applied to the larger project of ecological reconciliation.
