Now we are 30
An annual report of sorts.
Throughout 2022, we celebrated Talking Birds’ 30th Anniversary of making work in, and for, Coventry and beyond, with our year-long festival: Nestival. It was a varied, busy and sustained programme throughout the 12 months and, looking back on it from here, it feels like we couldn’t have celebrated Talking Birds’ 30th Anniversary in a more appropriately joyful or eclectic manner. Having done a round up of everything that happened, we’re also feeling slightly awed by how much it turns out that it is possible to stuff into 365 days.
Anyway, for the record, this was Nestival 2022:
Nest Residencies | Co-working & F13 | Nestival of Ideas | Come Bowl With Me | Open Cast | Art for the People | Symphony of Remembering | Song Cycle | Goose Gala | Extras | Coming up in 2023 | 30 years of projects
1. Nest Residencies
We have shaped Nest Residencies as the opportunities that we ourselves would really like – in the belief that the ideal conditions for creation are pretty universal: time, space, money, and some opportunity for conversation to help you refine or reflect on your ideas.
In 2022, we hosted 23 Hatching Residencies at The Nest. These residencies give artists of all disciplines supported time and space to explore a new idea and find out how it evolves over (up to) 10 days; plus conversations, mentoring or other appropriate/tailored support. In 2022, we were able to support 30 creative practitioners including visual artists, illustrators, theatre makers, photographers, writers, movement artists, event designers, musicians, and sculptors to ‘hatch’ something at The Nest.
“What I was least prepared for was the warmth and kindness from everyone at the Nest, the invaluable support from the staff and the fact that Talking Birds has virtually eliminated the barriers to creativity for the residents, and cultivated an environment that’s as near to perfect for an artist to work in as is imaginable. This kind of support for artists is rare and, although there are other funding opportunities out there, in my experience they are hardly ever so accessible.” [Mason Le Long]
“Having the safety and support of Talking Birds and The Nest gave me the ‘permission’ to create without rigid expectations, to dive in whilst knowing I won’t drown, to hold a gentle and nurturing space where it is impossible to do anything other than play and create without restriction. Who knows when this piece will fully come to fruition. What I do know is that I can leave my residency with the understanding that I have the capacity to create something enriching. I have ideas I can persevere with when I’m afforded the privilege of resource.” (Sym Mendez)
We describe the Hatching Residencies’ focus on new ‘what if…?’ ideas as a small act of resistance against the prevailing requirement to know exactly where you’re going before you set off – and the experience of this year confirms that this remains unusual, and yet so needed. Nest Residents have universally welcomed a slow, safe, supported space to explore, consider and create, learn and play without the pressure to deliver. It has proved restorative and nurturing – and, of course, like any worthwhile investment, these residencies pay back huge dividends over time. It’s a real privilege to be in receipt of public funding, and to be able use it to invest in ideas and in nurturing artists, in exploring regenerative creative practice and relationships, and in building a community around this work.
“It’s good to experiment with new techniques and reinvent your processes. But also to trust that by allowing your hands to work in familiar ways, you let go of the striving and accept the limitations (and possibilities) of what you can do…surprise yourself – bring in something that wasn’t in the original plan. This is why The Nest works; it’s a place of learning and trust. In this time and space, the work will emerge.” (Anne Forgan)
In addition to our Hatching Residencies, we also hosted 19 Nestival Residencies. Devised exclusively for our Nestival year, these lighter-touch residencies were simply an offer of supported time and space within the environment at The Nest. Intended for an artist to dedicate time to an idea or project that they might already have begun to develop, but which they could not otherwise afford to pursue. In 2022, we were able to invest in 25 artists over 19 residencies, including poets, photographers, writers, sound artists, video artists, visual artists and theatre makers.
“Those two weeks were the most creative I have felt in some time, and I am certain that is because I had permission to focus on just one project, which is such a rare opportunity as a freelancer, and because all pressure to produce and share something at the end of the residency was removed.” (Nicky Bellenger)
“At the beginning, I was quite worried and anxious about doing the actual residency and was sort of talking myself out of doing it really. But I found the first day a great welcome and relaxing. And that was something that I really needed, if I’m honest, because I don’t ever…go into other organisations and mix in that way.” [Adi Dowling]
“this residency has been transformative – quite in line with most of Talking Birds’ work…Talking Birds, and its residencies programme is an essential example of what mothering could mean when it comes to the arts sector.” (mel varin)
In recognition of the lack of opportunities available to young companies, we also offered 2 Remix Residencies. Devised specifically for our Nestival year, these residencies were aimed at new(ish) theatre companies of 3 or more people and offered them a box of props curated from 30 years worth of shows, plus some text and music also from our archive which would act as a jumping off point for ‘remixing’ Talking Birds. We wanted to offer companies (as distinct from solo artists) the kind of support and encouragement we had access to in the early 1990s – and without which we would not have made it to 30. We were able to support 2 companies, each made up of 5 individual theatre makers.
We are really pleased and proud that we were able to lever additional funding from the City of Culture Trust and the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation to add to our regular funding from Arts Council England in order to invest in supporting 65 artists via our Nest Residency Programme in 2022. This feels like a productive legacy of our 30th anniversary. At the end of their residency, we ask artists to write a reflective blogpost and then post these at Words from the Birds – and they are an illuminating and inspiring read. We consider residents to be part of the extended TB family – or Flock – and actively involve them in ongoing projects and events at The Nest.
“Rare is this kind of supported opportunity, a deep level of trust is gifted to you with respect for the artist at its core. This treasured period of time affirmed many things – the cruciality of open space and time, the importance of dialogue with like minded souls, the joy of art in its myriad forms, the necessity to rest between heartening, powerful moments of revelation.” (Adele Mary Reed)
2. Third Fridays Programme – Co-working & F13 network
At the beginning of the year, we published our first programme of monthly Nest Third Fridays artist support & development events. This consisted of monthly Creative Co-working Afternoons where we opened the doors at The Nest and provided deskspace, wifi, bottomless tea, coffee and a warm welcome. This grew in popularity throughout the year and we generally hosted somewhere between 6 and 20 people every month, doing a mix of quiet laptop-based work and conversation/hatching new projects.
Many people have become regulars and it’s grown into a lovely, convivial monthly event, with sociability high in the mix. We don’t mind this, because we’re well aware of the value of conversation in artist support as well as in making new connections, hatching new projects or collaborations.
Over the winter, in response to the cost of living crisis and a discussion at F13, we also piloted Warm Workspace Co-working Sessions – offering bookable quiet working desk space. Despite this having been requested by independent practitioners in the city, it has so far proved to be far less heavily subscribed than the more openly sociable monthly co-working sessions. Although those that have made use of the space have found it very valuable and conducive to working, it is hard to determine whether the lower demand is down to timing, or to people not wanting to take a space in case someone has a greater need.
The F13 network began in 2013 (on Friday 13th December) when we convened friends and colleagues of the city’s independent sector to talk about the then forthcoming NPO round and potential City of Culture bid. Since that time, the network has grown organically as people hear about it and are added to the mailing list. It has become an important support and information-sharing network for many across the city and region – this was particularly true throughout the pandemic and during Coventry’s time as UK City of Culture in 2021-22.
Although F13 is a network, it has also been (quite accurately) described as a ‘flow’ as, almost every time, different people come to meetings. We held five in-person F13 meetings at The Nest across 2022 with an average attendance of 25 creative practitioners at each, whilst the number signed up has grown to over 250. December 2023 marks the network’s 10th birthday.
3. Third Fridays Programme – Nestival of Ideas
The Nestival of Ideas panel discussions had been, up until this year, a periodic series of what you might term ‘continuous professional development’, but our new base at The Nest allowed us to host an expanded programme in 2022, billed as ‘interesting conversations with interesting people’. These were really thought-provoking and nourishing sessions which allowed us to bring in some outside perspectives and explore issues of interest in a little more depth. The audio from each session was recorded and is shared online (links below).
Words into actions: Can artist-led manifestos create real change? was held at The Nest in March. With the help of our panel – Elizabeth Lawal, Dan Thompson and Derek Nisbet – we had a really interesting conversation about the various reasons artists create manifestos, the uses they envisage for them, the effectiveness of manifestos as tools for change, and the role of data in accountability.
The second conversation, Green Revolution or Greenwashing? Can artists really change the world? happened in September. Our panel – Mish Weaver, Farah Ahmed and Amanda Roberts – helped us unpick some of the issues: exploring the impact art and artists can actually have on changing behaviour and combating the climate emergency; the issues, ethics, motivations and checks and balances of funding aimed at ‘green’ projects; and when public awareness is raised, where the arts can go next.
The third and final conversation of the year, My Place, My Art: the joys and pains of artist-led spaces took us into the territory of the different motivations for creating artist-led spaces and why do we do it. We talked about collective working, power in numbers, sharing resources, roots, front rooms, precariousness and gentrification with the help of our panel Julia Negus, Amahra Spence, Sandra Hall and Jon Wakeman.
4. Come Bowl With Me
When Birmingham Festival 2022 announced four sport themed-commissions, we were immediately drawn to the idea of making a piece of work inspired by Lawn Bowls. It seemed a perfect fit as a new addition to our popular Outdoor Arts portfolio, and with shows about Cricket and Queuing already in the roster, it seemed like our kind of sport. What’s more, the competition was due to happen just down the road in Leamington Spa which is, it turns out, a national and international centre for Lawn Bowls. On a speculative recce to Victoria Park we were taken under the wing of a pair of enthusiastic players whose passion for the game was infectious.
Come Bowl With Me was commissioned, and our bowls odyssey began. Our cast received training by top level coaches, and we spoke to elite players who would be representing England in the Lawn Bowls and Para Lawn Bowls teams (the competition entirely integrated the two – Lawn Bowls is an exemplar of accessibility). Any notion that the competition would be sedate was dispelled by the players’ fiercely competitive attitude, alongside tales of good natured one-upmanship (all fuel for our devising). The show itself, described as being “like a street party” began its run in Leamington, then to Coventry, Warwick, East London’s Olympic Park and Wolverhampton where “my 5 year old laughed a lot.” Job done. We are now taking bookings for 2023.
“Amazing. Great fun. First time I’ve seen a person of colour associated with bowls and made me think maybe we can all do these things. Great to see the encouragement to take part at end of show.” (audience comment)
5. Open Cast
Open Cast is a format we devised in 2001, out of frustration at traditional audition models, which didn’t really work for us (and often don’t get the best out of performers). It gives us an opportunity to get to know new performers, through a relaxed and convivial day-long workshop (we provide expenses, lunch and a modest fee for participants selected through an open application process). Our guest director this time was Justine Themen who navigated the group through a range of activities, enabling some group-forming and ensemble work, as well as giving individuals a chance to excel in what they can do, without the usual time pressure. Open Cast both diversifies our casting pool and – as we invite other companies/directors in for the final part of the day – performers get to be seen by others who might cast them.
6. Art for the People
Following on from our Citizens’ Assembly, Art for the People, which we held at The Nest in November 2021, we spent this year starting to test out, or somehow begin to advance, the Assembly’s nine brilliant recommendations. Throughout the year we met with smaller groups of participating Citizens to work on one or other specific recommendation, with producer support from Lisa Franklin and Steph Ridings. We made good progress on the Make Something Happen fund, which gave a micro-grant each to 3 people to get a creative idea off the ground; we trialled and consulted on the idea of Neighbourhood Creative Hubs; made a film about creative careers to start conversations with teenagers and teachers about careers in the arts; and took temporary light installations out to crowdsourced locations in order to start conversations about the role creative, playful lighting might play in safety and wellbeing. At the end of the year, a smaller cohort embarked on the Creative Community Changemaker training scheme shaped in collaboration with 64 Million Artists which will continue through the Spring of 2023.
To test out the Lighter & Brighter recommendation, we commissioned Ludic Rooms to bring their lights and projectors out into various dark alleyways as suggested by our Citizens.
Comments from passing members of the public included: “If it always looked like this I’d come here everyday” and “I wish it could stay like this. There’s constantly people flying about on off road bikes down here and I think this could help with anti social behaviour. I just avoid it usually.” You can read more, and see more of Maria’s stunning photos here.
7. Symphony of Remembering
Symphony of Remembering took place in June in Coventry’s iconic New Cathedral. It was scored for voice, string orchestra and organ by co-Artistic Director Derek Nisbet, who developed it from his piece originally commissioned for an installation in the Cathedral Ruins (called Resilience and Remembering) for the opening of City of Culture in 2021. The piece included spoken text from eye-witness testimony of the Coventry blitz, from a Syrian refugee who was given sanctuary in the city, as well as individuals who had lost family through violent crime and Covid. A BBC report from the borders of Ukraine brought the remembering to the most recent losses in that country. Threaded through these testimonies were the names of some of those killed in the raid on Coventry on 14/15 November 1940.
Regular Birds collaborator Amy Kakoura performed powerfully as Narrator and Singer, the Cathedral’s mighty pipe organ was played by Rachel Mahon and our good friends from Orchestra of the Swan were conducted by Graham Ross. Tom Simkins provided a live lighting mix and Ludic Rooms the video projections. Special thanks are due to Justine Themen who was Artistic Director of Coventry Moves and was instrumental in the original commission, and to violinist/conductor Simon Chalk, whose suggestion it was to create the live symphonic version. The programme also included work from Arvo Pärt, Britten, Mahler and Poulenc. It was a pretty epic event.
8. Song Cycle
Song Cycle was an opportunity to mark our 30th by commissioning 10 writers – some with a long history as collaborators, some working with us for the first time – to reflect on the TBs values and turn those reflections into lyrics, which Co-AD Derek would set to music. The resulting suite of songs was previewed in October by The Sonoplasts aka singer Amy Kakoura, violinist Simon Chalk and Fingers Nisbet on keys, with our legendary sound engineer Jonathan ‘Bungle’ Blackford riding the faders. The songs (with samosas and chips) proved a hit with a full house in the Space of Possibilities at the Nest, and in Spring 2023 they are being recorded ahead of an Album Launch on 31st March at 5pm (doors 4.30). Save the date! Back in May The Sonoplasts (first assembled in 2021 to perform live for BBC Radio 3) also performed a watery set aboard the Village Butty, during its residency at the Canal Basin.
9. Goose Gala – Nestival closing event
Talking Birds’ Nestival 30th Anniversary Year was brought to a close in classic Birds’ style with a Festive Goose Gala. It was an utterly joyous and suitably convivial way to bring the birthday celebrations to a close, with performances of our cult classic ‘Nordic Noir’ tragi-comedy Trevor Goose & his Dark Night of Lights plus an exhibition of set models, costumes and photographs from the last 30 years – rounded off with a cracking party.
We were delighted that, despite Covid, train strikes and dreadful weather, 150 Friends of the Birds were able to join us. This included Flock, Friends, Supporters and Freelance Family plus a few old Birds come home to roost. Huge thanks to everyone who came, it was a thoroughly lovely day.
10. Extras
NPO Application: As if this huge programme wasn’t enough, in 2022 we also managed to complete a (successful) application to Arts Council for regular funding as part of the National Portolio (NPO). As anyone who has completed an NPO application will attest, it is a huge amount of work. The thinking and planning is useful and invigorating for the whole company and Board, but the translation of these plans into the format required is an extremely time-consuming task. Although we were pleased and relieved that Talking Birds remains in the portfolio, we were disappointed that we were not successful in our application for additional funds. These would have, amongst other things, allowed us to offer Nest Residencies at a similar level to 2022 (much increased from our 2019-21 levels thanks to additional investment from other sources), having demonstrated the value of, and demand for, these opportunities. This means that, without significant fundraising and investment this year, the number of Nest Residencies on offer in 2023/4 will be greatly reduced. (One way that you, dear reader, can support this work at the Nest if you’d like, is by purchasing a Nest Bond…)
Spreading the Word: During 2022, there was significant interest in our Citizens’ Assembly, Art for the People, resulting in Co-Artistic Director Janet Vaughan being invited to speak about the project at Julies’ Bicycle’s national We Make Tomorrow conference, to a cohort on the Accelerator Programme, and to a consortium of artists and community organisers in Bristol. There was also an article about the project published in Arts Professional and, in January 2023, we were approached to write about it for Arts Quarterly.
The Difference Engine: After the lull in live performance during the pandemic, Difference Engine bookings picked up in 2022, with 46 companies and artists across the UK using it – 21 of them for the first time – neatly taking the all-time number of users to 100! We’re incredibly proud of the success of the Difference Engine, but painfully aware that it is now in need of some serious investment and updates. The fundraising for this is another priority for 2023.
Experimenting with 5G: During the summer, we joined a Coventry University project to explore the creative possibilities of 5G technology. We invited TB regulars Stephanie Ridings and Rachel Bunce to be part of Team TB for the duration, and together came up with City Garden Quest, in part inspired by the ‘City Centre Garden’ recommendation from our Citizens’ Assembly. We blogged about the process here.
Back in Angra: Co-Artistic Director Derek travelled to the Azores for the second year running to work with Director Peter Cann and Cães do Mar (the Sea Dogs) on Rua Direita – a series of site-specific performances along one street in Angra, on the island of Terceira.
Outdoor Arts: Alongside all the bowling fun, we had outings for The Whale, both in Coventry and further afield, and Walk With Me #1 (Spon End) was revived for the Wildlife Gathering. Three of our popular audio walks are available in their self-guided versions here.
Staffing: In March we said goodbye to our Nest Community Connector, Frances Yeung, who is now undertaking a PhD at Coventry University. Following a reflective recruitment process, we decided to focus the role differently, and Charlie Tophill has been working with us to co-ordinate Nest Residencies and events. Towards the end of the year, it was also farewell to our Admin and Projects Assistant Dom Watson, as he relocated to York. We enter 2023 thinking about how to reimagine the shape and make up of Talking Birds as it enters its 4th decade.
Shop Front Theatre: In November we joined colleagues across the sector in saying goodbye to the much-loved Shop Front, run by our friends and collaborators Julia and Chris at Theatre Absolute: a place very close to our hearts and site of many TB rehearsals/performances/events over the past decade. Mindful of the way the presence and evolution of the SFT shaped the creation of The Nest, we were honoured to be asked to contribute to both the archive and the final closing event. Ever up for moving stuff, we then helped Theatre Absolute empty the space, redistributing and homing some of the Shop’s valued artefacts.
11. What’s coming up in 2023?
Artist Support: Our second year of Third Fridays events has already been announced. Following the successful model from 2022 of alternating the morning events followed by monthly co-working, we hope to continue to build our creative community around The Nest. The make-up of the mornings this year is slightly different – there are still F13 meetings and Nestival of Ideas panel discussions, but we’ve added book clubs, a towpath walk and litter-pick into the mix this time.
Hatched at The Nest: Ahead of this year’s Nest Residencies, is a chance to see some of the work previously ‘Hatched at The Nest’ by artists who have been residents since the programme began in 2019. The exhibition will be open 16th-18th February, more details here.
Art for the People: The development of the work begun with the Citizens’ Assembly continues – currently a cohort of 8 are involved in Citizen Community Changemaker training, devised in collaboration with 64 Million Artists.
Song Cycle Album Launch: As mentioned previously, the Song Cycle Album will be launched at the Nest on 31st March at 5pm (doors 4.30). Save the date!
Fundraising: There is much fundraising to do – for developing The Difference Engine to the next level and increasing the level of support we can offer to companies hiring it; to increase the number of artists we can support through Hatching Residencies; and to really push forwards with the people-powered change described by the Art for the People recommendations. This will take a lot of time and effort this year. Every penny does really help, and if you are in a position to support this work at the Nest with a (regular) donation or by purchasing a Nest Bond, it would be very much appreciated.
Increasing Impact: As we’ve reflected on what we’ve been able to achieve in 2022, Talking Birds’ first full year of operation at The Nest, we recognise that a permanent base has made a huge difference to the way the company operates, and the sort of events we can devise and host. We know that The Nest, the work we have done this year with Residencies and the Third Fridays Programme and, building from this, the increasing company, operational and project support we (and particularly Executive Director Philippa Cross) are able to offer has already had a significant impact on the sector ecosystem.
From surveying Nest Residents, we know that the very specific work we are doing around green and regenerative creative practice is having an impact, but we want to increase and deepen this. In the 2023 Third Fridays programme, book clubs and green code events will increase opportunities for meaningful conversations and collective actions – and we are looking at how we can collect more empirical data that will help us demonstrate and stretch the impact of The Nest as the centre of the city’s green producing ecology.
12. The last thirty years in projects
To finish up with, here’s a *very* long (3.5 metres in fact) visual list of all the major Talking Birds projects from 1992-2022. Janet made this to go on the wall as part of the retrospective exhibition and Goose Gala and it seems a shame not to have it here where we/you can see it.
Finally, we’d just like to say a huge thank you to everyone who has worked with, supported or otherwise crossed paths with us this year. We very definitely couldn’t have done it without you.
talking birds 
3 replies on “three decades, done”