After birds departure
The Mil Pássaros (Thousand Birds) of Estufa Fria were born from the fingertips of an “innumerable hand” of children and adults, during a period in which the fragility of the world we live in became particularly evident. Lisbon was European Green Capital 2020, and Thousand Birds joined in a visual and sound “murmuration” tuned by the desire for a better world making Estufa Fria vibrate with its colors and sounds. They were made of paper, but like other birds, they left with the arrival of autumn. Here is a “sensitive memory” of its passage, through the eyes of director Luís Margalhau and the “voice” of Simão Leal, the Very Honorable Bird Keeper (whose Bird Keeping Reports were our delight).
30/10/21. Last Bird Keeping Report. It seems like it rains inside the hot greenhouse. Looks like that put some birds off. Or maybe they’re just sad to leave (…) Some were even in a stir. (…) The birds sang, with some reluctance. (…) The gardener Paula really liked the installation. Too bad the birds are being dismantled today. She asked us to leave one or the other hidden in the cave. (…) Regarding speakers, (…) It’s better to look for the sound. For the last time (for now). Lovely!
24/10/21. Radar on WU#10. I’m quite fond of the birds’ tunes. I’ve heard the blackbird and the goldfinch today, but the others not yet. Each day I hear them less. What might have happened? Yesterday they sang, today they do not. Silence prevails.”
21/10/21. Hello! (…) I’m all in favor of family walks through the greenhouse. I go there almost every day. When do they join?
16/10/21. Small update regarding the pre-book release installation status (…)The birds are, as a general rule, okay. With the recent changes, they no longer get so wet with irrigation. (…) I found out on Friday that the cold greenhouse is closed on Mondays, which means that in the past I was walking around the speakers. This raises the question “Will the speakers play if no one is there to hear them?” (…) Sincerely,
14/10/21. Are we going to Estufa Fria today?
12/10/21 Hello! It seems we’re in a bit of a pickle are we not? (…) Conclusion, there are problems, but I will deal with them.
11/10//21. More updates: I went there at 17:20 (I had inserted the columns at 10:30) and everything was working properly. However, I found that sometimes the thing was too silent. I caught an hour with lots of [people] hablando muy alto. So maybe it has to do with it, (…) As for wet birds, I think it’s too early to say what they’ll be like on Sunday. (…)
11/10//21. As for wet birds, they were dry enough to hang on. I think time will tell if this daily bath is too harmful. In terms of quantity, it seems to me that gardeners do take some care. I think those really had to get wet. I mean, I don’t think it’s too serious, but I’ll re-evaluate that this afternoon. (…)
11/10//21. Updates on Bird Keeping (…) I left the columns there today (I left around 10:30). They all seemed to be working. (…) Some birds are wet from watering. Let’s see how they hold up. (…)
11/10//21. I put down the pentagram and the sacrificial goat to write this email (…)
28/09/21 Hello! I would be very happy to be the keeper of birds, and in principle I will be available to take on the responsibility for this title, through a more precise definition of the concepts “in the morning” and “in the afternoon”.
