An international art installation that invites visitors to remember loved ones through birdsong is coming to the North East, transforming an attraction into a poignant chorus of remembrance.
Memorial Birdsongs by American artist Scott Hessels will be on display at Sunderland Museum & Winter Gardens from Friday, August 21, to Saturday, August 29, as part of the 404 International Festival of Art & Technology.
Visitors to the free exhibition will be invited to remember someone they have lost by choosing a bird and its song from a collection of 200 field recordings and accompanying paintings by Chinese artist Li Changan.
Atlantic puffin by Chinese artist Li Changan.
(Image: Supplied)
Scott Hessels, the creator of the installation, said: "The original inspiration for the artwork was the Aids Memorial Quilt which is in San Francisco Cathedral.
"The gay games were coming to Hong Kong, where I was working and I was asked to produce a show around the Quilt coming to Asia for the first time.
"Citizens were asked to leave a name and a message to a loved one they’d lost.
European goldfinch by Chinese artist Li Changan.
(Image: Supplied)
"However, it became apparent there was an issue with some of the rhetoric and language in the messages being left.
"So, I started to think about how to hate-proof some sort of memorial – as we know even cemeteries have been attacked by hate.
"I wanted to create a healing community, an inclusive experience that was completely hate proof, and Memorial Birdsong was my answer."
Garden
(Image: Supplied)
Visitors will use their phones to select a bird that represents their loved one, with the chosen birdsong then played through one of 50 speakers throughout the Winter Gardens.
This creates an evolving, communal soundscape dedicated to those who have passed.
Visitors can also receive a digital memento featuring the artwork, song, and name of the person being remembered.
Installation creator Scott Hessels
(Image: Supplied)
Mr Hessels, who works between the United States, Hong Kong, and Portugal, is already familiar with the North East after a residency in Newcastle in 2014.
He said: "I have friends in the area and I’m looking forward to catching up with them – while Sunderland Museum & Winter Gardens is a perfect setting for Memorial Birdsongs.
"It’s a beautiful, enclosed space which fits the project wonderfully.
"Although it’s a reflective installation about loss and grief, I’ve found kids love it too, and there’s an element of joy to the process.
"It’s about sharing grief in a shared space and knowing you’re not alone.
"The installation has also been used as a messaging service.
"When it was installed in France, a mother was using it to have conversations with her daughter in Ukraine, so it’s also a messaging system of love."
Memorial Birdsongs has previously been exhibited internationally, including in Hong Kong and France.
Its arrival in Sunderland is part of the 404 International Festival of Art & Technology, which runs from August 26 to September 1 and explores the relationship between art, technology, and society.
The festival is supported by the North East Mayoral Strategic Authority, Northumbria University, Northern Dance, and other partner organisations across Argentina, Japan, and the United States.
The Sunderland Museum & Winter Gardens will temporarily close for major redevelopment following the exhibition.
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Planned improvements include essential repairs, gallery refurbishments, a new education space called The Growing Space, and upgrades to the museum’s collection, interpretation, and wayfinding.
Full details of the museum’s redevelopment plans can be found at sunderlandculture.org.uk/blog/museum-redevelopment-frequently-asked-questions.
More information about the Memorial Birdsongs exhibition is available at sunderlandculture.org.uk/whats-on/memorial-birdsongs.