Kate Taylor reflects on her recent Hatching Residency at The Nest
Pre week 1, the offer of a familiarisation was presented by Talking Birds. I felt heard, and knew it would support certain traits linked to my ADHD; anxiety around new territory, expectation. Basically any over thinking put at ease. So a couple of weeks before my residency began, I met the core team at TB, saw the space, and felt super at home. Note to self… should I feel I need this in the future, just ask!
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Lucy Grubb reflects on her recent Hatching Residency at The Nest.
The Moon is a Satellite,
and this city itself feels like my own private constellation.
Adele Mary Reed reflects on her recent Hatching residency at The Nest.
There is nowhere like a nest to knuckle down and nourish yourself. Contained, safe, with wise guardians popping in and out. A trail of breadcrumbs lead me there, meandering path through years, motherhood, lockdowns, urban redevelopment, relationships, travel, wildflowers.
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Reisz Amos reflects on his recent Hatching Residency, which followed on from – and built on – his time as a MAIA fellow and his residency at Yard.
Continue reading“The freedom to discover without pressure of presentation
has allowed me to dream dreams I didn’t believe I was allowed to.
Talking Birds has cultivated the birth of a new creative version of myself!”Reisz ‘Odd Priest’ Amos
Ayesha Jones reflects on her Hatching residency with Talking Birds
As a photographic artist and documentary photographer, I use photography to communicate and process thoughts and experiences. Having inattentive ADHD, I often float off into my own little world. But capturing images allows me to hit the pause button on life, letting me revisit moments and understand my thoughts, feelings and other people better. Photography also provides a voice when words often fall short. A flowery way of saying, I am a massive visual learner and communicator. When emotions run deep, photography becomes my lifeline for expression.
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Prashant Kansara reflects on a Talking Birds Hatching residency…
My residency at Talking Birds took place earlier this year over five super sunny summer days in July. Three months have passed since that time and I’m surprised at how much the experience impacted the way I work now.
I’d learned of this residency programme the previous summer during one of the Nestival of Ideas talks and was keen to apply when the chance came around. When I heard that my proposal was accepted I was delighted yet still a bit apprehensive since I’d never done a residency before. However, soon after starting I realised that it was pretty much what it said on the tin: time and space to develop my creative idea in a supportive and stress-free environment.
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Lily Smith reflects on her Hatching Residency at Talking Birds
Being provided with time, space, and money to do something you love has the ability to change your life. As a freelancer, finding even one of these can prove a mission, and we rarely get the freedom to indulge in our creation without a healthy balance between the three.
I have played guitar for 8 years, but I’ve never made a song. I began performing with different singers around Coventry, working on their songs, composing for talented artists, yet I struggled whenever I sat down with myself.
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Holly Clark reflects on a Nest Residency exploring our relationship with reality TV.
During lockdown, some learnt to play an instrument, others started a new craft, I binged watched reality TV. The more I watched the more I discovered, each coming with new appeals and new ethical issues. I knew the ethics and practices on these shows were dubious, there’s been deaths connected to them, yet I and many, many others still watched.
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Ania Bas reflects on her Talking Birds residency
I arrived at The Nest with the beginnings of an idea that I wanted to explore in a new and slower way. Parenthood and precarious living gives me less time to meander and not-know when it comes to art and writing. These days in precious minutes that I can dedicate to my practice I launch myself into working on half-formed material with its final look somewhat predetermined. That way of working definitely brings results but it also makes me less adventurous as I tend to opt for safe options and stick to a way of working that I’m already familiar with.
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Hannah Adereti reflects on their Talking Birds Residency, organised in partnership with MAIA
Do I know how to be with myself?
Honour all forms of creativity that emerge?
Should I always hone in or should I see what plains of the wild west of my imagination has to offer?
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It takes courage to step up and organise something to make life in your neighbourhood or city better. Even when it’s part of your job it takes courage: What if no-one turns up? What if it rains? What if people don’t like what we’re doing? What if doing this makes us look stupid? What if we fail? These (and many other) questions plague us (and every artist) every time we/they do something. When you have raised funding to make your event happen, the pressure is even more intense – this is public money and there’s a big responsibility to make sure it is spent well.
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This spring Talking Birds has been working with colleagues at the University of Warwick on the ‘AI in the Street‘ project, which is researching communities’ perspectives on, and feelings about, the AI-enabling infrastructure that lines our streets. The project aims to add citizen-voices into discussions about future infrastructure installation and invisible data gathering projects, whilst questioning how open and responsible the current processes are. The project has collaborative teams working in London, Cambridge, Edinburgh and Coventry, with the site of the Coventry Observatory being the Holyhead Road – which marks the border between Lower Coundon and Spon End.
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Words from the Birds 