Bird Box Data

Installed as part of Timber Festival, Moira, Swadlincote, DE12 6DQ. 7 - 9 July 2023

Artist Lucy Stevens has created her own visual language to interpret bird ringing data, gathered at Charnwood Forest. The giant painted bird box uses abstract mark making, graphs and charts to explore this information in a creative and accessible way. The bird box uses a limited colour palette that relates to 9 birds plumage colour, conservation status, wing span and weight.

The birds Stevens has chosen to highlight are all in different positions on the traffic light system for conservation concern. The blue tit, kingfisher and great spotted woodpecker are on the green list meaning that their population numbers are stable, whilst the bullfinch mallard and song thrush are on the amber list meaning that their numbers are unstable and the starling, yellowhammer and swift are on the red list meaning that they are currently in significant decline.

The surrounding bird and bug boxes attached to the trees were designed and decorated as part of workshops with participants from the Safe, Well, Happy learning disabled adult social group based in Charnwood and Age UK’s Men and Women in Sheds. Visitors to Timber Festival were also encouraged to decorate habitats as part of the 100 Habitats project with partners Charnwood Arts and Charnwood Forest Geopark.