Listening to Nature

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Listening to Nature

In the southside of Glasgow there is a specially designed garden sanctuary, the Hidden Gardens. In the gardens there is an artwork of ten birdboxes by Artist Alex Finlay, made in celebratory response to Suhayl Saadi’s translation of ‘The Parliament of the Birds’. This work provided the inspiration for the project, Listening to Nature, where a group of local women came together to listen to often unnoticed sounds of nature in the city’s greenspaces and further afield. Stories were told and experiences shared about birds with storytellers Allison Galbraith and Jean Edmiston, as each week the group visited beautiful and inspiring green and planted spaces and learned to use field recording equipment to make recordings and take photographs. They also made birdboxes with Bill Breckenridge. The project culminated in a wonderful family and friends day out to Queen Elizabeth Forest Park.

Excerpts from the recordings and stories were shared as part of LOOP, celebrating International Women’s Day at Tramway and the Hidden Gardens. Visitors could listen on headphones from one of the birdboxes made by the women. This work has been reshown as part of Day of Stories, 2013, an exhibition marking 10 years celebration of the Hidden Gardens.

Commissioned by the Hidden Gardens and the Forestry Commission, 2011

Gallery