Bird Park Survival Station
multi-species climate emergency project, 2015-ongoing
The anthropogenic forces of deforestation, development, climate change, and biodiversity loss have forced many wild animals to adopt and adapt to human cultures and urban infrastructure as habitat. Cities have become multispecies spaces—even refuges—and demand an obligation to foster relations of flourishing for both human and more-than-human life. The Bird Park Survival Station (Bird Park) is an art response in the form of a conservation site and multispecies art platform. It is built on the roof of my home in Vancouver and provides affordances to local wild-living birds—fresh water, food, caching and perching features—to help them survive the climate emergency and diminishing wild habitat.
The Bird Park uses processes of creative reciprocity, providing gifts to the birds in the form of habitat, in exchange for their input into emergent art projects. The Bird Park includes noninvasive cameras and microphones that record the birds’ activities. I analyze the recordings for information about how the birds are using the Bird Park and then adapt and improve the Bird Park based on their needs. Additionally, first-hand observations of listening to and watching the birds provide information about their communications. Using this process, I’m following the lead of the birds, and this is how the Bird Park manifests and changes over time.
The video and sound recorded in the Bird Park is used to create video and sound art, such as Crow Stone Tone Poem, Crow Gifts and Tales from the Bird Park. Art outcomes from the Bird Park have been exhibited internationally in gallery venues and sound art events.
team:
Julie Andreyev and local birds
Simon Overstall, computation
research assistants: Richard Brittain, Cara Jacobsen, Mana Saei, Astrid Dakowicz, Morgan Gilbert
Julie Andreyev and local birds
Simon Overstall, computation
research assistants: Richard Brittain, Cara Jacobsen, Mana Saei, Astrid Dakowicz, Morgan Gilbert
supported by:
2021, Art Apprenticeship Network, Shumka Centre for Creative Entrepreneurship
2018 Internal Research Grant, Emily Carr University of Art + Design, see ECU news
2021, Art Apprenticeship Network, Shumka Centre for Creative Entrepreneurship
2018 Internal Research Grant, Emily Carr University of Art + Design, see ECU news
exhibitions:
– 2025 group exhibition “Near Dwellers as Indwellers”, Both Kinds Project Space, curated by Daphne Plessner, Vancouver, BC, Canada
– 2024, group exhibition “Near Dwellers as Creative Collaborators”, Street Road Artist Space, curated by Daphne Plessner and Emily Artinian.
– 2020, online group exhibition “Co-Vid-EO”, hosted by IMPON, curated by Laura Lee Coles.
– 2018, videos from the Bird Park were featured as an off-site Emily Carr University event associated with the Vancouver International Bird Festival, Vancouver.
– 2025 group exhibition “Near Dwellers as Indwellers”, Both Kinds Project Space, curated by Daphne Plessner, Vancouver, BC, Canada
– 2024, group exhibition “Near Dwellers as Creative Collaborators”, Street Road Artist Space, curated by Daphne Plessner and Emily Artinian.
– 2020, online group exhibition “Co-Vid-EO”, hosted by IMPON, curated by Laura Lee Coles.
– 2018, videos from the Bird Park were featured as an off-site Emily Carr University event associated with the Vancouver International Bird Festival, Vancouver.
associated publications:
– Plessner, Daphne. “Ruth K. Burke, Julie Andreyev: Near Dwellers as Creative Collaborators”. The Tree Museum & Street Road, 2024.
– Andreyev, Julie. “Bird Park Survival Station”. Gillieson, Katherine and Jon Hannan, editors. Occasional Papers: Creative Research at Emily Carr. Vancouver: Occasional Press, 2022.
– Andreyev, Julie. Lessons from a Multispecies Art Studio: Uncovering Ecological Understanding & Biophilia Through Creative Reciprocity. Intellect Books, 2021.
– Berland, Jody. Digital Animalities. Toronto: PUBLIC, 2021.
– Leong, Penny. “Other Beings, Julie Andreyev.” Espace 121 Animal Point of View, hiver/winter 2019, Montreal.
– Plessner, Daphne. “Ruth K. Burke, Julie Andreyev: Near Dwellers as Creative Collaborators”. The Tree Museum & Street Road, 2024.
– Andreyev, Julie. “Bird Park Survival Station”. Gillieson, Katherine and Jon Hannan, editors. Occasional Papers: Creative Research at Emily Carr. Vancouver: Occasional Press, 2022.
– Andreyev, Julie. Lessons from a Multispecies Art Studio: Uncovering Ecological Understanding & Biophilia Through Creative Reciprocity. Intellect Books, 2021.
– Berland, Jody. Digital Animalities. Toronto: PUBLIC, 2021.
– Leong, Penny. “Other Beings, Julie Andreyev.” Espace 121 Animal Point of View, hiver/winter 2019, Montreal.
Crows in the Bird Park
gift from the crows
beach glass gift from the crows
branch left as a gift from the crows
moss gift from the crows