In Philip K. Dick’s Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, the first to succumb to the radioactive rain are the owls, followed by all other living species, until nearly all animals become extinct. In their place remain “hyperreal” robotic simulacra, which attempt to fill a deep need for empathy. 

In the transitional areas of the Milan hinterland, where these photos were taken, there are now about 300 species of birds, driven ever closer to and into the city, by the degradation of the natural ecosystems from which they originate: in fact, about 40% of all bird species worldwide are experiencing declining populations.

Birds are everywhere, they are the most numerous animal group in every urban setting around the world. Beyond familiar symbolism and a domesticated, idealistic representation of nature, these images suggest the possibility of an empathetic and direct gaze, that explores both wonder and unease, toward creatures that, like us, struggle to survive on this earth.