In Des Oiseaux Natalie Baetens invites us to discover the micro-habitats of birds from all over the world. Small shacks, huts, thatched cabanas, little houses—their formal variety is both ingenious and aesthetic—suspended in mid-air or fastened securely to branches, or even hidden among thick foliage, the nests photographed by Nathalie Baetens are fascinating in their diversity and their delicateness.

The images reveal the diversity and the surprising beauty of the nests, like an ornithologist's inventory. They are photographed in black and white on a white/ivory background with very soft lighting and high-sensitivity film, allowing us to experience the textures of each habitat. Nathalie Baetens demonstrates the strength and inventiveness of these structures designed to accommodate, shelter, and protect—from the cold, the wind, the harsh weather, and predators—the eggs and nestlings.

Nathalie Baetens celebrates the power of the ephemeral, the nests she has been able to approach, notably in the reserves of the National Museum of Natural History, coming from France and the entire planet – Sumatra, Brussels, Cape Horn, South Africa, Saint Lucia, Bolivia, New Caledonia, Colombia, southern Africa, Cochinchina.

The text by Fiona Meadows, architect and curator at the Cité de l'architecture et du patrimoine, explores the relationship between nest architecture and human architecture, at a time of major environmental and climatic challenges. In the interview Philippe Séclier invites Nathalie Baetens to explain the origins of the photographer's project and her special relationship with these micro-habitats.