With Catherine Clover

This is a listening sounding humming reading writing event, a thinking a thrumming a murmuring, full of humming muttering whispering nattering rustling wondering interrupting scratching yawning and imagining. It is about possibilities continuations connections. Participants can be loud or silent. Pens and paper will be provided. Those who do not wish to actively participate are encouraged to look out of the window.

My interests are oriented to the environmental with a focus on the animals that live around us, in close proximity to us, in particular common wild birds such as pigeons, crows, starlings, seagulls, sparrows. Rather than looking at remote wildernesses I consider how these birds adapt and thrive in the city, and rather than the plight of animals on the verge of extinction I address birds that are numerous and highly adaptable, birds that we see and hear everyday from our windows, along the pavements, in the street trees, in city parks, under bridges, nesting on tower blocks, sharing our urban spaces with us, birds that are so numerous and common that they are often made unwelcome. These birds are gregarious, social and vocal, and I listen to their exchanges. I hear their vocalisations and consider the possibility of them as users of complex language. Through listening, writing and reading this event will explore the possibilities not only of language in other species but the conceit of a shared language.

Catherine Clover.