A before and after shot of the bottle #GeorgeBoorujy threw into the ocean in Staten Island with his drawing of a cormorant. It ended up on the coast of France over two years later! #MessageInABottle #BirdsOfAFeather
We’ve set up some extra materials for our Birds of a Feather project outside out beautiful garden cafe. Why not pop in and have a look with a cup of tea?
Verity Mansfield submitted this exciting design for a bird repeller to be used in fields. It is designed to be accompanied by music to be played near by to the installation!
We’ve had another submission for our Birds of a Feather project! Clare Marsh took inspiration from a walk through Merseyside farmland with her family to design this ferris-wheel stlye bird repeller.
Today, we had some visitors come to our gallery to help us out with our Birds of a Feather project. It was great! The sun was shining, and everyone was excited to be taking part.
The afternoon started with a run around our garden, complete with Birds of a Feather attractors and repellers. The sun was shining, which was a nice change from all the rain we’ve been having recently. Did you know that birds can fly in the rain, though they have their own “windscreen wipers” in the form of a third eye lid to keep their vision clear?
Our visitors then headed up into our Ballroom for some fun arts and crafts. They were each given a submission form for our Birds of a Feather project, and were asked to design either an attractor or repeller to go in our garden. We had some great ideas - from Christmas trees covered in treats, to an electric fense, to a cat-sensing bird table! Did you know that cats don’t like the smell of citrus? If you want to keep cats out to help birds in your garden, try putting orange peel around your bird feeder.
Once they were done, we collected all the designs up. Look out for them appearing on this blog soon! Our visitors had a look around our Galleries (currently exhibiting Paul Helliwell and Clare Iles - see http://www.colchester.ac.uk/art/minories/exhibitions for more info).
The Birds of a Feather is about more than just birds. It’s about control and manipulation of our environment to see the desired effect. In towns and cities, this might mean making sure birds and animals don’t cause a nuisance - ultrasonic deterrents, scarecrows, noise makers, ans sprinklers are all used to stop unwanted visitors. In contrast, we might put out bowls of water, seed feeders, bird boxes, and allow areas of unkept plants to run wild to attract animals to a particular space.
But what about us? Our movement and use of public spaces are influenced just as much. City centers are made clean and laid out strategically to help people enjoy their experiences there. Signs help us determine where we can and cannot go:
Here’s an interesting article from The Gazette newspaper in Colchester:
10k Studs to Deter the Firstsite Skaters
METAL balls to stop skateboarders using steps outside Colchester’s Firstsite Gallery have been installed at a cost of £10,000.
A total of 146 of the tiny studs have been fitted, so each one cost nearly £70 from Colchester Council’s coffers.
Two of the studs, screwed in place on the edges of the steps, have already broken off.
The move, last night described as “frivolous” and “shocking” comes after ‘no skateboarding’ signs displayed in the area, have failed to have the desired effect.
A PCSO has also been assigned to the area in a bid to keep boarders at bay.
Tim Young, portfolio holder for planning, community safety and culture, said the cash was accounted for in “existing budgets”, worked out “before his time”.
“We are justifying the cost from the amount of nuisance that has been caused,” he added.
So, you see, Birds of a Feather is not just asking us to think about birds. Or environmental control. It is asking what environmental control means to you.
We invite you to submit a design for a bird attractor or repeller for display around St Botolphs, in Colchester, in the coming months.
24 designs from each category will be selected and their designers invited to produce them for display at St Botolphs later in 2014. For more information, pop into The Minories Art Gallery for a submission form.
Winter is hard for our feathered friends! The cold weather and snow make finding seeds and food difficult. Help feed birds all winter long with this easy DIY bird feeder.
Mix 1 cup of peanut butter in a sauce pan over low heat.
Stir in 2 cups of cornmeal and 2 cups of oats to your melted peanut butter.
Once the mixture has cooled slightly, form palm sized balls.
Look at these wonderful bird attractors and repellers! Inspired? Then join us in our ‘Birds of a Feather’ Exhibition and see your work on display alongside other interesting pieces…
Birds of a Feather and The Minories Gallery invite you to submit a design for a bird attractor or repeller for display around St Botolph’s, in Colchester, in the coming months.
24 designs from each category (attractors and repellers) will be selected and their designers invited to produce them for display at St Botolphs later in 2014. A selection from each category will then be displayed in The Minories garden alongside the existing display of commercially produced attractors and repellers.
We are looking for a range of designs, from the traditional bird table and scarecrow, to the weird and the wonderful… perhaps even inspired by science fiction! We invite submissions from a range of people, from professional artists to the aspiring creative mind; experience not necessary, only enthusiasm.
So far, submissions have included various repeller designs (including a cat mobile) and even a poem. What might you come up with?
To submit a design, simply pop into The Minories Gallery and grab a leaflet. Draw (or paint, sketch, print, write, stick, or collage…) your design onto the submission sheet and hand it back. Why not have a go while you enjoy a hot drink in our cafe, overlooking our garden?
They survive in some of the coldest environments in the world - but even penguins appreciate a warm woolly jumper once in a while.
The mini knitted garments have helped save hundreds of flightless birds caught in oil spills, providing protection from the elements and stopping them from ingesting poisonous pollution.
February is a great time to be feeding birds, and encouraging them into your garden. Spring is on the way, and many birds will be looking for nesting areas and starting to come out of hiding from the winter.
So - put some bird seed out! How many different birds do you see in your garden?
The weather is set to be lovely tomorrow (Saturday 22nd February) - why not pop along to the Minories Cafe and grab a Birds of a Feather Submission form while you’re there?
Want to do something a bit different this half term? Head to The Minories Galleries, 74 High Street, Colchester - we’ve got an exhibition activity trail for the kids! While you’re here, pick up a Birds of a Feather submission form for all the family, and give designing a bird attractor or repeller a go over a nice cup of tea or coffee (and don’t forget cake!) in our cafe.
Birds of a Feather and The Minories Gallery invite you to submit a design for a bird attractor or repeller for display around St Botolphs, in Colchester, in the coming months.
24 designs from each category (attractors and repellers) will be selected and their designers invited to produce them for display at St Botolphs later in 2014. A selection from each category will then be displayed in The Minories garden alongside the existing display of commercially produced attractors and repellers.
We are looking for a range of designs, from the traditional bird table and scarecrow, to the weird and the wonderful! We invite submissions from a range of people, from professional artists to the aspiring creative minds; experience not necessary, only enthusiasm.
So far, submissions have included various repellers - including an electric wire, to a colour ferris wheel - and attractors - including a popcorn decorated Christmas tree!
What might you come up with?
To submit a design, simply pop into The Minories Gallery and grab a leaflet. Draw (or paint, sketch, print, write, stick, or collage…) your design onto the submission sheet and hand it back. Why not have a go while you enjoy a hot drink in our cafe, overlooking our garden?
