Chris Aldhous, the author of a new book : Ghosts of Gone Birds, explains how a creative army like RE-UP can help promote conservation projects through a mix of art.
It’s RE-UP strange chemistry in full effect. We designed Ghosts of Gone Birds to bring two very different communities together: conservationist activists and contemporary artists. We wanted to refresh the narratives about species extinction and bird endangerment by introducing fresh creative energy to its articulation.
Essentially it was about resurrection – breathing life back into long lost birds but also breathing new life into contemporary conservation concerns. Further strange chemistry occurred when we mixed up the artists we were inviting to take part – we wanted the widest range of talents to reflect the diversity of species lost…Margaret Atwood, Sir Peter Blake alongside Charming Baker and Le Gun.
Photography, sculpture, graphic design, interactive installations. Music & poetry. Everything flowed together to create the Ghosts of Gone Birds movement. Raising a creative army for conservation. We invented new language and fostered a new online community that crossed disciplines and connected bird lovers with contemporary art fans. It presented art, but also stimulated debate, raised funds and engaged people with direct action. It’s how we work across a range of our NGO clients – finding fresh ways to articulate the critical issues then mobilising a supporter base through deeper social media engagement.
Ghosts of Gone Birds – The Story of the Project So Far is published by Bloomsbury on Oct 24th
