talking birds

WLTM : Open Call for interested (and interesting) illustrators and print-makers…

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[**DEADLINE EXTENDED TO DEC 10TH**]

Talking Birds is looking for illustrators and/or print-makers for a small series of planned commissions related to The Nest, which will be the company’s new home and shared making space from 2021.

At this stage, we are looking to create a small pool of interested illustrators and/or printmakers who we will then invite to apply for these commission opportunities.

Talking Birds is particularly interested to hear from illustrators and/or printmakers:
– who live and/or work in Coventry or nearby;
– who self-identify as belonging to an under-represented or marginalised group;
– whose work lends itself to screen printing in one or two colours only.

A bit about you (How to register your interest)

Please email TalkingBirdsCoventry@gmail.com and tell us a bit about yourself, your interests and your work (in roundabout 500 words) & include links to up to 5 representative pieces of your illustration and/or print-making work. From these submissions, we will select a number of artists to whom we will circulate commission briefs when they become available. Please note that the deadline for expressions of interest is December 10th 2020.

A bit about us (Who *are* Talking Birds anyway?)

Coventry-based Talking Birds is well known for its innovative and gently provocative projects which explore, and seek to illuminate, the profound and complex relationships between people and place.

These projects include its Theatre of Place performances in disused hospitals, cattle markets or underground car parks; its submersive Whale-shaped mini-theatre which swallows audiences in small groups; its pop up social events which bring people together for unexpected conversations in unusual places, often over food; and the invention of its in-pocket captioning system, The Difference Engine, which aims to revolutionise the creative possibilities of accessibility.

The Nest will be Talking Birds’ new home and shared making space which is due to open next year during Coventry’s year as UK City of Culture. Since 2018, Talking Birds has been running the Nest Residency Programme (which offers time, space and conversations that allow artists to think, experiment and take a punt on one of those ‘What if…?’ ideas) peripatetically while the building work continues.

We are a signatory to the More Than A Moment pledge and, as such, wholeheartedly commit to ensuring equity, investment in, and opportunities with and for Black artists and creatives within our organisation’s culture and work, and in doing so becoming the change we all need to see.

talkingbirds.co.uk

[Illustrations by James Bourne for Song for a Phoenix, commissioned for the day when the Olympic Torch visited Coventry in 2012]

A Space To Hatch

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Sinéad Brady reflects on her Nest Residency:

I’m a Coventry born actor and writer. I moved back to Coventry last Autumn after graduating from Institute of the Arts Barcelona with an MA Acting, where I co-founded international theatre collective Rule of Three Collective, made up of Irish, German and British theatre makers. We co-wrote the show FREE EU ROAMING, which premiered at the Dublin Fringe Festival 2018. Between leaving for university and now I’ve lived in Bristol, Barcelona, San Sebastián, Madrid and Dublin. My writing is usually a response to social injustices and societal pressures that impact the people I meet in the different cities I’ve lived in. I’m passionate about the use of language in theatre and deconstructing dominant narratives. I feel compelled to tell the stories of people who suffer due to political, historical and sociological injustices, which are often too difficult for an individual to resolve on their own.

When I moved home to Coventry Talking Birds were recommended to me by several local artists as an innovative, exciting theatre company engaged in supporting the work of local artists. When I applied to The Nest Residency, I hoped that Talking Birds would help me think about my project in visually and aurally interesting and accessible ways. I also needed space, time, support and a sounding board to work on an idea that I had been thinking about for a long time, but was unable to focus enough, or even believe in enough, while working on my own at home. A space to ‘hatch’ an idea sounded perfect and I felt reassured that with the support of Talking Birds and the wonderful opportunity of working at the Shop Front Theatre, I would make progress with my project.

On the first day of my residency I arrived at the Shop Front Theatre with notebooks, post-its and a new pencil case – I was very excited to be on my own in a black box. The Shop Front Theatre is such an intriguing space full of plays and books to read and plenty of chairs and sofas to try out, but in attempt to focus, I stuck to one corner. I thought that maybe in such a big space I would jump around too much, in my work and literally (I did bring a yoga mat) but the space was very calming. I was familiar with the Shop Front Theatre through performing at Shoot Festival in 2016, attending a Writing Gym earlier this year, and having seen many performances there, most recently Are We Where We Are. It was really useful to work in a space where I had seen performances – I found that inspiring when it came to imagining my own idea being staged and it also helped me keep the audience in mind.

I knew I wanted to create a piece of theatre exploring pressures around body image, delving deep into the language of ‘self-talk’ and the emphasis on self-care as a way of improving our internal and external worlds. I particularly wanted to focus on the competitive nature of striving to become the best version of ourselves. I had imagined creating a piece of audio that would pull an audience off track, ask them to forget about routine and consistency, to stop trying to improve themselves, to ask the questions: what does it really mean to be the best version of ourselves? How in control are we as individuals of who we are? Personally, I’m tired of being told by the media and social media that I could be working harder physically and mentally. I’m tired of being told anything is possible for everyone because, let’s face it, it’s not. I’m scared that the more we look inwards for the answers, the more we forget about the power of working together.

After three days of creating characters and plotting on post-its, I had a mentoring session with Co-Artistic Director and Composer Derek Nisbet. Derek provided invaluable feedback on my idea. We talked about different ways of recording and staging the performance. I was particularly interested in using the format of audio as a way of disconnecting from familiar, potentially addictive, images to create an intimate conversation with the audience. As I was experimenting with the idea of a character in transit, neither here nor there, it was fascinating to explore ways of using sound to show the presence and absence of people and goals. I also found it a brilliant opportunity to ask questions about how to create accessible performances, which led me to consider incorporating visual elements to the piece.
The Nest Residency was a stimulating creative experience, which I’m very grateful for. It filled me with the confidence to trust my ideas and I made great progress in a short space of time. I will continue working on the project and really look forward to sharing my developments with Talking Birds.

—

If you are an artist interested in applying for one of Talking Birds’ Nest Residencies, you can find out more here.

Visualising Volgograd

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Nest Resident Sylvia Theuri has been visualising Volgograd, Coventry’s Russian twin city.

Last Autumn, as part of Spon Spun Festival, Sylvia sent a postcard of one of her digitally-created urban Coventry landscapes to a cafe in Volgograd.

This led to an online dialogue between Sylvia and the manager of the cafe – and then to this Nest Residency with Talking Birds, where Sylvia is spending time exploring the geography and environment of Volgograd remotely, using online photographs, maps – and making good use of Google Street View!

Here are a few photos of her studio and work in progress snapped earlier this week:

We’ve enjoyed having conversations with Sylvia about her practice and, in particular, her exploration of Volgograd – which has given us plenty of excuses to wallow in a bit of affectionate nostalgia around our visit there and our collaborations with artists in the city.

[Talking Birds has a long association with Volgograd, which began with Twin60 (marking the 60th anniversary of the Coventry-Volgograd twinning); has involved visiting artists in Volgograd and bringing musician Slava Mishin and artist Fedor Ermalov over to Coventry in 2006 to play at The Tin and take part in an exhibition at the Herbert which twinned works by artists in the two cities; artists’ talks which played simultaneously in both cities with artists communicating via Skype; an exhibition (still in situ outside Coventry library) of work by children in both cities; and the world premiere of Twin Song composed for the Volgograd Children’s Symphony Orchestra and Coventry Youth Wind Orchestra, conducted by Yuri Ilynov, which premiered at Coventry Cathedral in 2014.]

 

 

Reading List

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This is a round up of books included on our Wednesday Recommendations posts so far, let us know of anything else you think we should be reading!

No More Plastic by Martin Dorey – a short and very readable collection of achievable quick-win actions every single one of us can take to reduce the plastic in our lives (and therefore in the world), this book is also full of gently provocative prompts to consider lots of bigger ethical, social justice and sustainability issues. One of the great new-to-me examples of positive actions to join in with is Morsbags (a kind of craftivism billed as ‘Sociable Guerilla Bagging’) which involves keeping fabric out of landfill by making it into shopping bags which you gift to strangers, thus helping cut down the number of plastic bags needed. Genius.

Dear Ijeawele, or a Feminist Manifesto in Fifteen Suggestions by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie is a pithily practical companion to her earlier book ‘We Should All Be Feminists’, based on her (highly entertaining) TED Talk of the same name. It’s a short, insightful and thought-provoking book, originally written as a letter to a friend who’d asked for advice on raising her baby girl a feminist. It also contains this lovely paragraph: “Teach her about difference. Make difference ordinary. Make difference normal. Teach her not to attach value to difference. And the reason for this is not to be fair or to be nice but merely to be human and practical. Because difference is the reality of our world. And by teaching her about difference, you are equipping her to survive in a diverse world. She must know and understand that people walk different paths in the world and that as long as these paths do no harm to others, they are valid paths that she must respect.”

‘Doughnut Economics’ by Kate Raworth. I got hold of this after listening to the author on the ‘Reasons to be Cheerful‘ podcast, and I’m so glad I did! This is one of those books that totally changes the way you see the world – causing you to totally re-examine everything you think you know about the way things are done, or have been done – and why. It challenges our modern understanding of ‘growth’ and how we measure value – and is therefore much wider ranging than just economics. Laying out a compelling vision of how things could be (and need to be) done differently – the book is full of hope and practical steps for how humanity can re-organise to truly prosper, whilst re-generating our ravaged planet.

‘Wilding’ by Isabella Tree tells the story of her family’s decision to end the loss-making intensive agriculture farming business they inherited at Knepp on the South Weald. The book charts their incredible 20 year journey of discovery as they stopped ‘conventional’ farming, and gradually allowed (and prompted) nature to re-colonise and essentially heal the land. In common with ‘Doughnut Economics’, this book turns accepted views, and ways of doing things, upside down. I’m particularly struck by the way that this has been written as a summation of 20 years of quiet observation, and how that observation leads to a far deeper understanding, which in turn leads to (eg) the radical suggestions that the early British ‘wildwood’ must have been closer to wood pasture than forest; and that our understanding about the preferred habitats of many wild species are based on where they were able to survive when their really preferred habitats had been denied them by human activity.

Other interesting and inspiring books that we’ve not had chance to write blogposts about include:

Hope in the Dark by Rebecca Solnit

Climate Justice by Mary Robinson

How to be a Craftivist by Sarah Corbett

Respectable by Lynsey Hanley

Poverty Safari by Darren McGarvey

Why I’m no longer talking to white people about race by Reni Eddo-Lodge

Brit(ish) by Afua Hirsch

White Fragility by Robin DiAngelo

 

 

 

Holding people to account over the choices they make, and helping them make better choices, works!

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Today, in a Comment is Free piece in The Guardian, to coincide with the release of the ‘Sustaining Great Art & Culture‘ report, Nicholas Serota Chair of Arts Council England lists some of the headline achievements of ACE’s 10 year partnership with Julie’s Bicycle (a charity that supports the creative community to act on climate change and environmental sustainability.).

Continue reading →

News from the Nest

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Hello! We’re writing to you from our cosy 4th floor vantage point overlooking Coventry, the UK’s City of Culture 2021, with some titbits about forthcoming Birds activity:

Spon Spun Festival 2018 (Coventry)

Spon-Tryptich-1Sat Sept 8th – Walk With Me…

Come and tune in to some of the secrets of Spon End in the company of our guide, radio enthusiast and inventor, Herbert Cleaver. Expect a trail of the unexpected – and help us develop this work-in-progress walking tour by giving your feedback afterwards over tea & cake.

At Spon Spun 2018 we’re piloting this, the first of our city trails commissioned as part of Coventry City of Culture’s Great Place project, supported by Heritage Lottery Fund and Arts Council England.

Tours at 1pm & 2.30pm from outside the Oasis Community Cafe, Spon End CV1 3BL. Free and suitable for all ages, and route is ramp accessible, but pre-booking essential by e-mailing access@talkingbirds.co.uk (please state how many places you would like to reserve and any access requirements you’d like to let us know about). Please note that the route lasts about an hour and we will be walking pretty continuously, so please wear comfortable shoes and dress appropriately for the weather!

Screenshot 2018-09-06 09.38.58.pngSat Sept 15th – The Female Warrior

As part of the Spon Spun Art Trail https://www.sponspun.co.uk/artists/, and honouring the 2018 Heritage Open Day theme of Extraordinary Women, we will be giving the Coventry Premiere of our outdoor performance telling the extraordinary true story of Hannah Snell who, in 1746, joined the army in Coventry in the guise of a man and whose life as soldier, marine, mother, stage performer & publican defied the conventions of the time. “Captivating” (Audience Member)

Performance times: 1pm & 4pm In the garden behind Langar Aid House on Doe Bank Lane (next to historic Spon Bridge) CV1 3AR

The performance is FREE and lasts 40 minutes and is suitable for all ages. CAPTIONS [subtitles] will be broadcast to Mobile Devices via THE DIFFERENCE ENGINE app. More details: https://www.talkingbirds.co.uk/DE

Also coming up:

Screenshot 2018-09-06 09.34.13The Whale…
at Llawn Festival, Llandudno Promenade 15th-16th Sept 10am – 1pm and 2pm – 5pm both days https://www.llawn.org/

at Kenilworth Arts Festival 29th Sept 11am – 4pm https://www.kenilworthartsfestival.co.uk/whats-on/

We’re recruiting Board Members!
Would you be interested in joining our dynamic board to help steer the company’s exciting flight towards 2021 and beyond? Please contact us by e-mail so we can arrange an informal chat!

And finally…

A chance to win a Talking Birds’ exclusive Artist-Designed Prize bundle!
Have you been to one of our shows this year? If so we’d love to hear how you found it (and help us report to our funders!) – you’ll get the chance to enter the prize draw once you’ve completed this 5 minute survey:
https://goo.gl/forms/RzALv31vQHea24pr2

That’s all the news from the TBs Nest for now – if you’d like to join our mailing list and get all the news from the nest direct to your inbox, you can sign up here: http://www.talkingbirds.co.uk/pages/mailing_list.asp

Open Cast – Call for Performers

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o-c-imageApplications are invited for an open workshop for performers with Talking Birds Theatre Company in Coventry. This is an opportunity to meet and work with the company in a relaxed and sociable group setting over the course of a day (11am-4pm), at the Shopfront Theatre in Coventry. The workshop will be led by Richard Hayhow, friend of Talking Birds and Director of Open Theatre Company.

The aim of the workshop is to identify talented and versatile performers the company can draw on for future projects (see www.talkingbirds.co.uk for examples of our previous work), particularly in the run up to Coventry’s year as UK City of Culture in 2021. We will also be inviting Artistic Directors from other regional companies to join us in the afternoon.

Travel expenses and lunch will be provided, along with any additional support you need to participate fully in the workshop.

Open Cast is aimed at expanding the casting pool for Midlands-based companies and priority will be given to D/deaf, disabled and learning disabled artists, artists from black and minority ethnic backgrounds and those based in the region.

Application is by submitting a video that lasts between 90 and 120 seconds (phone camera is fine) giving us an introduction to you, your work and why you want to come and do the workshop.

In addition to this, we encourage you to include any information that will help us consider your application. You can also attach a resumé/CV if you wish.

Please e-mail birdmail@talkingbirds.co.uk (Subject: Open Cast) with the link to the video or the video attached.

Applicants of any age over 18 welcome. The workshop is aimed at both emerging
and established artists. Full-time students are not eligible to apply.

Please note revised dates:

Date of Workshop: Friday 4th May (Coventry)

Deadline for applications: Sunday 22nd April

We will inform successful applicants by: Wednesday 25th April

Telephone number for any queries: 024 7615 8330 (please leave your name and number clearly) or e-mail access@talkingbirds.co.uk

 

Royal Mint Minds its Ps and Queues with new 10p coin

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The Royal Mint has issued a new 10p coin which celebrates the pursuit of Queuing.

The move was welcomed by The Q Corporation, a Coventry-based organisation formed in 2011 to promote Queuing in all is forms.

Royal Mint’s Q Coin (2018)
Q Corp Badge (2011)

A spokesperson for The Q Corp said: “We’re delighted that the Royal Mint has recognised Queuing as one of the UK’s great cultural traditions with this new coin. We’ve no doubt people will be lining up in a courteous and orderly fashion to collect one.”

In the run up to London 2012 Queuing formed part of the UK’s Cultural Olympiad. The spokesperson said: “We narrowly missed getting Elite Queuing included as an Olympic event, as it was deemed by the IOC that UK athletes would have an unfair advantage over the rest of the world.”

However it is believed that post-Brexit there will be an unprecedented increase in Queuing at airports and other UK borders. “Without Brussels prescribing the length and shape of our Queues, it could become a major growth area for the creative economy.” It’s even been suggested that Queuing could be added to UNESCO’s list of Intangible Cultural Heritage assets, alongside Belgium Beer Culture and Poetic Duelling in Cyprus.

The Q Corporation will be helping launch the programme for Coventry UK City of Culture 2021 later this month at the Shop Front Festival on 23-24 March 2018. “In 2021 people will be queuing up for cultural events across Coventry. It’s our intention that the experience of these Queues will be so good that people won’t actually feel the need to go to the events they have been waiting for.”

Follow on twitter: @Q_mob

Call the Q-line: 0800 012 2401

Ornage clad queuers wave flags in shopping arcade
The Q_Mob lining up for the Shop Front Festival (Pic: Andy Moore)

Come Queue With Us!

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IMG_6311

Talking Birds needs volunteers to join its street performance The Q on Friday 23rd & Saturday 24th March in Coventry, as part of the Shop Front Festival (the first event in the build up to Coventry UK City of Culture 2021).

The Q is a celebration of the Art of Queuing. In 2011 the Q Corporation was formed in Coventry to campaign for Queuing to be included in the Olympics (therefore ensuring a string of Golds for the UK). Now they return – still dressed in orange – to show why Coventry has the most cultured Queues in the UK, and that it’s high time for our foremost past-time to be recognised as an Artform in its own right.

What do I have to do?

The @Q_Mob is like a Flash-Mob, but slightly more orderly. To join Q_Mob you need to sign up for a 4 hour slot (with ample breaks!) during the Shop Front Festival on Friday 23rd or Saturday 24th March, during which time you will be helping form queues around the City Centre, led by our Q Corp Captains (the elite SAS of queuing).

You will also need to come to a short (1 hour) Q_mob workshop where you can find out more, meet the team and… practice queuing. There are two workshop times to choose from:

Weds 14th March 6.30pm

Friday 16th March 1pm

Both workshops are at Shop Front Theatre 38 City Arcade CV1 3HW (just opposite Argos)

Age requirements: Q_Mob volunteers need to be 18+, younger Q’ers are welcome but need to be accompanied at all times by an also Queuing Parent/Guardian.

There will be FREE CAKE (and other foodstuffs) for volunteers.

How do I sign up / find out more?

Please e-mail us:  theQmobs@gmail.com

Via Facebook

Or call: 0800 012 2401 and leave a message with your name, mobile number and email address (please spell out anything tricky to be sure we can get in touch with you!)

Follow us on Twitter: @Q_mob / @birdmail

I can’t make it to the workshops but I still want to join in. Can I?

Yes! Come along and join The Q in and around Coventry City Centre on Fri 23rd & Sat 24th March.

Volunteer Singers Needed!

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image1We’re looking for volunteer singers to join our Backstage Choir, to perform on Sunday 10th September in ‘Backstage at the Albany Theatre’ as part of Spon Spun Festival and Heritage Open Days in Coventry.

Rehearsal schedule is as follows:
Tues 29th Aug 6-7.30pm (initial get-together/find out about the project)
Sun 3rd Sept 2-4pm
Tues 5th 6-7.30pm
Sat 9th 12.30-2.30pm [*note time change*]
Sun 10th Performance day 9.30 – 5pm

(Singers must be aged 18+ and be able to attend at least 2 rehearsals before the day of the performance).

If you are interested in joining the choir please contact Jodie Dickson on 07342 882 665 or jodie.dickson@albanytheatre.co.uk

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A city’s heartbeat has many rhythms.

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Guest Blog from writer Mark Hancock.

Coventry sits at the heart of the country like a heartbeat, feeding the major arteries of the United Kingdom. But there’s a funny thing about heartbeats, you get so used to them being there that you end up ignoring them and forgetting how vital they are to your whole being. But of course, without it, it’s pretty much a guarantee that you won’t last much longer.

For many of its citizens, Coventry is the heartbeat that keeps us going from minute to minute, marking out the distinct patterns of our lives and refreshing our bloodstream. You can become so used to it though, you might have to keep reminding yourself that it’s there and just how vitally important it is.

On the 15th December, as part of the Talking Birds Cart entourage (on this night, a live band – The Upsiders, HMS Cupcake, offering cakes and hot drinks and filmmaker Rachel Bunce), we set up camp underneath the ring road flyover on Gosford Street to capture the cultural heartbeats of Coventry’s citizens.

One woman I spoke to told me how her family had been in Coventry their whole lives and she name checked at least two of the well known clubs from the late 70s and early 80s. She had moved away from Coventry, spending several years abroad and was now back studying for a PhD. We talked of the draw of Coventry and that desire to be a part of the city and make something good here.

That making something good can suggest to some people that Coventry wants to return to a golden era when everything was fantastic and if only it could be like that again. But the city has changed and evolved beyond all recognition. It’s important, as part of Coventry’s bid to be the UK’s City of Culture in 2021 that people don’t over emphasis this illusion of returning to glory. While nobody wants to forget that Delia Derbyshire was born here and went on to be one of the first women electronic music pioneers, let alone the person who created the original Doctor Who theme, we must look at the present.

I chatted (and we filmed) a young skater, who talked about the skate scene in the city. We both had thoughts on how the architects of the city worked to prevent skaters using the public zones of the inner city (there are also of course, good skate parks in the city) and how they overcame those obstacles. It reminded me that a city isn’t only the sanctioned areas of cultural production, but the unofficial ones as well. People will find their own routes to make a rich and engaging cultural life. If by winning the 2021 bid, there’s an opportunity to make that heartbeat loud enough to be noticed by the whole country, then they’ll have done a favour to everyone who makes up the life force of the city.

thecart-21 [originally published on project blog https://thecart.wordpress.com/]