An Acoustic Commons of the East Atlantic Flyway: Belfast

A site-specific sound walk and participatory performance in Botanic Gardens.

Meet in the SARC foyer.

The project considers how we share space with other species, specifically wild local songbirds in urban areas. It will be focused on birds that migrate to Belfast during April along the East Atlantic Flyway, such as Swallows, Swifts, House Martins. These birds are long distance, trans-Saharan migrants and all are endangered. They are vulnerable to habitat loss, biodiversity loss and a decrease in population numbers. The Swifts have a decline of between 25 and 50% over a 25 year period. While the message of the project is critical, focused on species loss and the environmental crisis, the performance will be inclusive and playful in order to engage audiences, and no singing, performance or bird mimicry skills are needed. Like us, the voices of songbirds adapt to the landscapes they live in, and their accents, dialects, idioms, languages alter accordingly, just like ours.