Martin Brandsma : Identities

Identities is a collection of morphological drawings of one hundred fifty-two different Great Grey Shrikes Lanius excubitor from fifty-seven areas in the Dutch provinces of Friesland and Drenthe. These are detailed illustrations that are displayed in a standardised layout. The basis of the work Identities is partly scientific; firstly there is the fundamental phrasing of the underlying question: can individual Great Grey Shrikes be recognised on the basis of their outward appearance? Secondly both in the field as in the studio a standardised procedure takes place: the structure is created by means of through observation of the variations in outer characteristics and this is manifested further by the resulting standardized illustrations.
For anyone who has studied them closely, no two Great Grey Shrikes are alike.