The little gold bird in the cage
Songbird, by Alison Saar, is a sculpture that possess multiple meanings in a lateral way to convey one idea. The sculpture was created in 2003 using wood, wire, linoleum, and acrylic (www.chazen.wisc.edu ). It consists of a woman being hung on a post by her feet with twine. Her hair is making up a cage that surrounds a golden bird. The entire sculpture is five feet and five inches (www.chazen.wisc.edu ): about the average height of women. When looking at the work there is an urge to want to take the women down even though she does not portray that she is in pain. She is simply hung like a bird feeder meant to feed humans with knowledge of what she represents. Saar creates a work that is meant to be looked at from the top to the bottom as each element is connected to the next portraying an important meaning. At its height, a post represents white superiority in America, and how whites have the most power in a society that has been perfected to their advantage. The acrylic twine represents the protection of status. The woman portrays the people that have the least amount of influence and power in this world that is constantly against them: the black female. Lastly, the caged bird portrays her truth protected with an unappealing outer shell: her last possession in a world that has stripped her of everything.
Furthermore, the position of the post demonstrates the power whites have over other races specifically Black women. Whites have literal advantage over their counterparts. America is structured for their success. For instance, the post itself is strictly geometric: only consisting of straight and diagonal lines. More importantly, it shows how living in America as a white person is straight forward. Loops or backsets are non-existence for the white America while they are prevalent for a Black woman. More importantly, none of the lines from the post touch the red women. The lines surpass her exhibiting how whites are not aware of the privilege they have over Blacks. Even so, one can clearly see that the woman consists of no straight lines. Therefore, straight lines in the piece are a representation of superiority in America where the route to success is straight forward and paved. On that note, it is reasonable to conclude that the acrylic twine also represents white superiority just in another sense.
Rather than representing the altitudinous status of whites compared to Black women the acrylic twine demonstrates the immense protection of position. Looking close at the twine one can see it has a strong grip on the feet of the woman. There are many strands and knots in multiple places; the twine even wraps around itself considering a checked sense of security. She has no way to escape. Even if she were able to untie one part she would be faced with a new challenge. Thus, Saar conveys the multiple barriers that stand in the way of colored women keeping them from taking the place of their oppressors. In whole, the twine represents the protection of position by using immobilization. With a keen eye one can observe from a front view the twine is secure; yet, from behind the women is slightly slipping from the twine but still immobilized.
The woman is the embodiment of having no control and being beaten by a society that is actively against you. The first thing one notices when observing the women is that her base is painted red merely dusted with black. It is obvious the red is her muscle and blood while the black is her skin. Saar gives impression that the women has been skinned from head to toe. She is bare in two senses: she has no skin or clothing, unprotected. Saar is demonstrating how the government has had modicum of progress in protecting Black women by tearing down the very factors keeping them in a stagnant societal position. Secondly, it is very clear and alarming that she is not trying to get herself down. Virtually, she is still defeated and has no true power if she gets down. She looks comfortable, like she has accepted her upside- down position; thus, the position in the society she lives. Moreover, Saar use of facial expression conveys the woman does not even see or feel the hold the twine has on her. For instance, her breast suggest that she is upright; thus, she does not notice her position. The only seen expression on her face is confusion with her crooked lips. Rounding back, her tenderness represents how her identity has been sanded. Her blackness stripped by America’s definition of ideal. Saar supports this with the woman’s straight hair when natural hair was considered nappy and unprofessional. It suggests Black women attempting to position themselves highly to white America. Even so, she is still black. Her hair protectively holds her deeply rooted truth.
Even beaten, her hair creates a cage protecting a golden bird symbolizing the one possession she has left when she has been stripped of everything: truth. If someone were to line himself or herself with the white post her or she will find the body of the women is tilted to the left, and her head is turned over an observer’s shoulder remaining left but not aligned with her body. On the contrary, the bird and its swing are angled the same as her body. A look to left is considered an indication of honesty. Thus, it is valid to interpret the bird as a symbol of truth and its caged-ness indicates how she decides to protect it. The Golden Bird, translation by M. Hunt from Tale of the Brothers Grimm, expands on the idea of the golden bird. In the story, the golden bird is put in a “wooden cage” (Hunt). Wood degrades though the sculpture uses wire a strong and durable material. In both senses, what the bird is caged in is not as appealing as the golden cage presented in the story. Therefore, it is easy to overlook that the bird is golden unless one look closer. Saar takes the attention away from the women and causes the looker to observe what she is protecting with close attention. The cage is easily interpreted as the woman’s mind and identity. Her mind cannot be tainted. Yet, she must protect her truth by caging it in something unappealing to prevent its damnation. The story states “We would put the golden bird of truth back in a golden cage and make a lot of noise about it, as happens occasionally. But it takes place more in the simple and hidden” (Hunt). The bird does not want to be noticed, because it knows a golden cage will only draw more attention given enough attention that it itself is golden. Truth is defining ones moral and is a part of dignity but does not mean that it would be surround by idealistic material.
In whole Alison Saar demonstrates the position of Black women in America with each element of her sculpture. Reading the sculpture from top to bottom there are four defined elements: the post, the twine, the women, the hair, the cage, and the bird. For starters, the post represents the position of whites in society, and it portrays that they are positioned at the top of the system created in America. Their position is definitive. The twine shows the intense grip they have on Black women as they are at the bottom of the social scale. Moving down the sculpture there is the red somewhat black woman. Her purpose is to show how Black women have been skinned of their identity by America’s standard of the ideal women. It explains why the hair on the obviously Black women is straight. Yet, her hair creates a cage protecting the one possession she has left: her truth in the form of a golden bird.
If there is anything that one would like to know more about the artwork it would have to be the position of her hands and the crookedness of her lips. Also, it is interesting how the bottom of the bird cage is decorated. The significance behind the ruggedness of the women can boggle one’s thoughts.
