Arrivals and Departures with RSPB Wild Dundee
On Sunday, we had the pleasure of hosting some members of the ScrapAntics CIC Family Club at the University of Dundee Botanic Gardens. It was a day filled with discovery as we delved into the sounds and songs of Spring.
With binoculars in hand, we marvelled at the sight of a beautiful Blackcap serenading from a branch above, shortly before hearing the unmistakable call of a Chiffchaff – but that wasn’t all! We saw and heard Magpies, Great Tit, Robins, Siskins, a Chaffinch, Wood pigeons…we even saw evidence of a Sparrowhawk’s hunt!
As part of our ongoing Arrivals and Departures project, we engaged in meaningful conversations about the reasons behind our wildlife’s migrations, drawing parallels to our own journeys.
By partnering with the Art and Nature Collective, we were honoured to have Felicity Inkpen guide each participant in crafting a multi-media masterpiece. From sketching birds with simple shapes to illustrating migration paths with water and ink, and using collage techniques to capture the essence of birdsong, creativity truly flourished!
At RSPB Wild Dundee, we believe that collaboration lies at the core of every successful endeavour. A heartfelt thank you to Inês-Hermione Mulford for her invaluable support, Felicity for her inspiring facilitation, Riverside Nature Park for sharing Ian Ford’s wealth of knowledge, and ScrapAntics Family Club for helping reach our participants.
“Thank you Hope & Felicity – excellent facilitation & a very enjoyable morning bringing together nature & art – great for families to spend time together. Magic!”
– Hope Busak, RSPB Scotland
On Sunday the 28th of April, I packed up a car with art supplies and drove over to Dundee to join RSPB representative Hope Busak and members of the ScrapAntics Family Club at the University of Dundee Botanic Gardens. Hope led us around the gardens where we looked and listened for signs of migratory birds arriving in Dundee: black caps, chiffchaffs and warblers. Back in the activities room, we all sat down with a cup of tea and a biscuit to discuss what we had seen, heard, and learnt, and turn it into art.
The participants were first guided through an observational drawing exercise: learning to look at birds with an artist’s eye, breaking the image down into constituent geometric shapes, and then building up detail through shading and different types of mark-making. Their beautiful bird drawings were put to one side to do an all-together messier creative activity – exploring migration through the movement of water-based inks across paper. The participants were invited to draw out a map in clear water, then add the inks to the water marks, and see how the ink travelled. Finally we considered the birdsong we had heard, and how this could be represented in abstract shapes by using collage – the ripping of the paper providing a sound to add to the visual experience.
The ink-map, the paper-birdsong, and the drawing of the bird were then combined into one mixed media art piece. The participants showed their artistic flare as they combined the different elements in diverse and beautiful ways, each creating an artwork that was truly unique to them. There was lots of enthusiasm for these different ways of making art as the participants flourished in their own creativity.
Thank you so much to Hope for leading the workshop, and to Ines and the Art and Nature collective for bringing me to this botanic garden and this wonderful group of people.
– Felicity Inkpen, Collective Artist
“Thank you very much for these types of activities. The best thing is I never know we can do lots of things with just art and birds.” – Participant, Age 6