A retrospective take on a German Philosopher of Science’s groundbreaking work in the study of birds is up at Chico State’s Masters of Fine Arts Gallery (MFA).

Showcasing a collection of sculptures, drawings, photography and belongings from philosopher Freya Vogel, the exhibit “Fraigaist” sheds light on her scientific and philosophical studies.

The retrospective vision comes from not only Vogel’s findings but from her research and how it relates to being human.

Chico State exchange student Franziska Kolling curated the exhibition through the course of this spring semester.

As she studied Vogel’s techniques and research, she began to study Vogel in the same way that she studied her birds. She specifically was interested in why she would observe the bird in a certain way, which eventually led Kolling to a conclusion: Vogel’s research shows the inability of humans to accomplish what birds do easily- to move freely wherever they want.

“For some reason, I got interested in using birds in my art room, but hadn’t figured out why I was so drawn to that image,” said Kolling. “Then I would just play around looking at the birds from different perspectives on different materials.”

Kolling believes that a takeaway from Vogel’s work is that birds have human traits, but that there are also bird traits within humans.

The collected pieces from Vogel’s research included taxidermy birds that had been insulated in metal, photographs of bird wings and drawings of birds relating to their flight abilities.

“Fraigaist” will be displayed in the MFA until Saturday, May 4. Gallery hours are Tuesday to Saturday, 12-4 p.m. Kolling is a photography student at Chico State, and her photography and art can be found on her website.

Rayanne Painter can be reached at [email protected] or @rayphenomenon on Twitter.