“Bill Jacobson is widely known for his out of focus photographs which suggest the temporality of human existence. Whether shooting figures or landscapes, his work has been consistently ethereal, addressing the passage of time, loss, and the fading of personal and collective memories. This volume presents a new body of work which, though now quite sharp and defined, is similar in that it presents fragments of both beauty and melancholy.

According to Jacobson the title “refers the idea that we live in a highly constructed world. The world is just that, a series of human decisions, one layered upon another over time. We move constantly from one fabricated arena to another.” The images here convey the idea that our creations and subsequent decisions to arrange objects in space become the evolving visual world which surrounds us. Each photograph conveys a human touch, suggesting this process is spiritual as well as practical.” [1]

“How to Make a Bird’s Nest:  Take a wafer of tinker’s tin. With heavy scissors, cut four triangles. The triangles shall be small, no taller or wider than half an inch, preferably smaller, if possible. Punch holes near the two angles at the base of the triangle, using a small hammer and the slimmest nails or brads possible. A large, sturdy sewing needle is even better, as it will yield a finer hole. Fold each triangle along an imaginary line extending from the top point to the middle of the base. The angle of the fold should be as close to ninety degrees as possible, using only the naked eye (as ematical measurement). Thread each of the pieces with a length of fishing line or kitchen string or strong sewing thread. Now, patience is required; place in turn each piece of shaped tin over the nails of the forefinger and thumb of each hand so that the end point of each piece extends approximately one-quarter of one inch beyond the fingertip. Fasten each piece to the finger by tightly tying the thread around the finger at the first joint (but not so tightly that circulation is lost). This may take practice. Join the thumb and forefinger at their pads. By rolling them together forward and back, the two folded triangles should variously meet and separate; these are your beaks. It is with these that you will pick up grass and twigs and tinsel and stray bits of string and weave them together in the branches of a chosen tree or bush or thicket, depending on the species whose nest you wish to undertake. (This in itself requires preperation and it is suggestated that as many examples as possible of the desired type of nest be studied before attempting one’s own verson. Even more desireable is to spend as many a spring afternoon as manageable watching the birds themselves weave their homes; such observation willl help immensely in learning the particular stictch requires.) Keep in mind, though, that the materials for the nest must be collected and woven strand by strand. Birds do not gather their lumber, so to speak, all at once, but, rather, search out each plank and shingle one at a time. Such a birdy method may at first seem absurd to the forward-thinking nest maker, but soon it will be found that the pleasures of the project are not derived from efficiency. (Another desired eventuality is that as one becomes more and more dexterous weaving nests, one will begin to do so with only one beak, as it were. And here, then, too, is another temptation to overcome – keeping one’s free hand behind one’s back and refraining from giving the birds a helping human hand!)

Once the nest is complete, then what to put in it? Anything your heart desires, of course: acorn eggs plucked from their cups; stones smoothed in a river; a lock of your sweetheart’s hair; your firstborn’s milk teeth – anything you choose that will fit into the nest and give you pleasure to consider whenever you visit. Over time, one’s whole countryside might be fitted out with a constellation of such nests, each holding its own special treasure.” [2]

ALL IMAGES OF WORK BY BILL JACOBSON, TAKEN FROM THE MONOGRAPH “A SERIES OF HUMAN DECISIONS”, VIA DECODE BOOKS AND PHOTO-EYE; TEXT TAKEN FROM DECODE BOOKS [1] AND FROM “TINKERS” BY PAUL HARDING, 2009