Birdwatching Launch Soirée

Upon arrival, guests are greeted by custom installations by Berlin–based artist Clare Celeste Börsch. Called Earth Deities, the “suits” are modern interpretations of earth and fertility goddesses.

Louisiana–based artist Brandon Ballengée makes an appearance to discuss his contribution to the exhibition, pieces from his Frameworks of Absence series.

For his Frameworks of Absence pieces, Brandon hand-cut images of now-extinct birds from famous prints to highlight their disappearance. After each bird was cut, the silhouette was then burned, with ashes displayed in an urn beside each painting.

From left: artist Brandon Ballengée, Birdwatching curator and artistic director Kelly S. Turner, Explore Charleston’s Cat Dority, and G&G vice president and publisher Christian Bryant

Upstairs, guests enjoy raw oyster selections from Lowcountry Oyster Company.

Guests with Making the Invisible Visible, a large-scale work by Clare Celeste Börsch featuring four species of now-extinct birds: the passenger pigeon, Carolina parakeet, ivory-billed woodpecker, and Bachman warbler.

Featuring Dos Primos tequila, jalapeño honey syrup, and lime juice, the Incas cocktail is named for one of the last two Carolina parakeets that remained before the species’s extinction.

From left: August Cole and Alexandra Macon

Canapes, including a citrus crab salad wrapped in endive leaves, are served throughout the evening.

Guests enjoy a Dos Primos specialty cocktail in the magazine’s lobby.

From left: Jackson Keith, Austin Stapleton, and Spencer Faw.

From left: Fletcher Williams, Paulina Rodriguez, CJ Lotz, Andrew Lamar Hopkins, and Chase Quinn.

From left: Sylvia Deprill, Becky Rainbow Rieger Santora, Harold Deprill, Autumn Phillips, and Suzanne Pollack.

From left: Cress and Rebecca Darwin, Kelly S. Turner, and Sam Easley

Cheers to the launch of Birdwatching!