Songbirds

Songbirds by Sarah Bird

Jan 2011

I've got a piece of art in the Corban Estate Summer School exhibition this week. It's my first time exhibiting which is pretty scarey, but also pretty exciting.

The piece is called "New Zealand Songbirds" and includes the names of iconic Kiwi female musicians which have been double stitched in place to represent their permanence in New Zealand culture. 

 You can't see it in the photograph unfortunately, but the Tui's have mirrored wattles which shine in the light and represent the way Tuis reflect the sounds around them in their song. Did you know that the songs of Tuis vary from district to district? They are such wonderful birds. If you aren't familiar with the Tui, you can hear their song here. And a funny piece about Tui's mimicking their environment here

I have used both vintage and new fabrics in the work and really enjoyed trying out new techniques to make it. It's being displayed (and is for sale) at the Corban Estate as part of the Tutor showcase this week. (14th - 21st January). I'm unfortunately not running a course this week due to lack of enrolement numbers but I'll be doing a weekend course next term which should be more accessible in terms of time and money. I'll fill you in with details soon. If you want to visit the gallery and see my work and that of the other tutors, pop along to the Corban Estate this week. You can get directions and more details here.