Bayou DeView
Postcard by Noah DoelyBayou DeView is part of artist Noah Doely’s project Into the Bayou, which is centered around the Bayou DeView waterway within Cache River Wildlife Refuge in Arkansas. The refuge is known for claimed sightings of the Ivory-billed Woodpecker, classified as “definitely or probably extinct” by the American Birding Association.
In 2014 Noah traveled to the site (also known as the Big Woods of Arkansas), which he describes as “Area 51 for ornithologists,” to spend time exploring and recording video in the region of the 2004 purported Ivory-bill sightings. One of these earlier sightings was captured on video, and the distant, blurry images were used as evidence to support an article published in Science magazine; however, there was no concrete photographic or biological evidence. Still, the encounters led to an international media event garnering skeptics and believers alike.
Says Noah, “I wanted to experience and document this primordial swamp, a place that has an aura of myth, history, and uncertainty. I had the paradoxical experience of looking for the Ivory-bill despite my disbelief in its existence. I’m interested in the way a visual experience can differ dramatically based on the system of belief that someone brings to it. What constitutes a verifiable eyewitness account? Especially when there are so many trap doors built into the way we gain knowledge through our senses.”
About the postcard, he continues: “The first time I traveled to the Big Woods I looked for postcards to send to friends and family and was unable to find any. I decided to make my own postcard of the Bayou DeView, a place that is simultaneously specific and ambiguous.”
3.5 x 5.5 inches
Matte coated card stock
Edition of 50
[Please note, this postcard is sold unframed and shown in a frame for display purposes only.]
See more work by Noah at noahdoely.com ︎︎︎
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