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Story and photos by Dave Schafer In 1963, hordes of birds terrorized residents of Bodega Bay in Alfred Hitchcock’s masterpiece, “The Birds.” More recently, swarms of birds invaded 500 Jefferson, but a Hitchcock movie this ain’t. These birds, released by Soneary Sy, who crafts origami bird mobiles in her spare time, are bringing cheer to the residents of the 16th floor. “Sy brought sunshine to us,” said Margaret Peabody, a Fire Department management analyst. “These mobiles are so pretty. She made them, then brought them to us.” Kathy Chan, Public Works & Engineering, taught Sy how to craft birds out of folded paper about eight months ago, when Sy, now a management analyst, worked in PWE. Sy has adapted and improved on the style. She figured out how to make the paper-and-ribbon mobile, and she’s found new colors and shinier ribbons. She’s birthed more than 1,000 birds, including more than 70 mobiles with between 13 and 20 birds each. Most of the birds are two inches tall from belly to the tip of the tail feather. Some are bigger, such as the mother bird at the top on the mobile. Forming the birds is addictive fun, Sy said. When she sits down to watch television, her hands itch for paper to fold. Each mobile takes about 90 minutes to make.
“They create a very pleasant environment,” said Sy, who’s been with the city nearly 26 years. Looking at the birds relieves her stress. “They make me feel like I’m in the sky. I feel free.” According to Japanese legend, after a person creates her 1,000th bird, her dreams will come true. Shortly after Sy’s 1,000th, she got a new job, which took her from PWE to Fire. Now, she’s well on her way to 2,000. All those birds need a place to roost. So she gives them to her co-workers, who perch them from the ceiling in their offices. “The birds float high above our desks giving brightness and cheer to each of our offices,” said Cheryl El-Sabagh, an administrative associate. Four mobiles flutter in Sy’s office, where her officemate, Suzanne St. Michael, hung a clock that chirps a different bird call each hour. Sy has a book of other origami shapes, but she likes the birds best, so she’s sticking to them. It’s been suggested she sell her mobiles, but Sy said she’s not interested in that. She enjoys the good will and positive karma she generates by giving the birds away. “I like to express my creativity, and I enjoy it when people enjoy my creations,” she said. Hitchcock might not have seen the beauty in birds, but Sy and her co-workers do. |
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