Courtney Timmermans has developed a singularly unusual sculptural technique that transforms thousands of air rifle BBs into commanding animal head sculptures. The Oregon-based artist meticulously assembles these small metal spheres — each a uniform pellet of steel or lead — into large-scale wall-mounted works depicting bison, elk, cattle, and other herbivorous creatures. Her process demands extraordinary patience and precision, as individual BBs are positioned to create volumetric form, surface texture, and anatomical detail. The accumulated mass of projectiles generates an optical shimmer, their metallic surfaces catching and refracting light in ways that imbue static sculptures with kinetic energy. This unconventional material choice carries symbolic weight: ammunition designed for harm becomes the medium for celebrating wildlife, a reversal that underscores tensions between human activity and animal survival.
The visual impact of Timmermans’ BB assemblages lies in their dual nature as both decorative objects and conceptual provocations. From a distance, the sculptures read as conventional taxidermy alternatives — handsome trophy heads suitable for contemporary interiors — but closer inspection reveals their startling construction method. The repetitive labor involved in placing thousands of identical pellets echoes meditative craft traditions while simultaneously evoking industrial manufacturing processes. By selecting herbivores as her primary subjects, Timmermans highlights species whose populations face pressure from habitat loss and climate change, creatures often viewed through the lens of hunting culture. Her work navigates this loaded terrain with formal elegance, producing pieces that function equally as technical marvels and subtle environmental statements about our complex relationship with the natural world.
More info: Artsy (h/t: Jean Albano Gallery).
in Bahia.