Birdsong is an exhibition curated by the Indian Music Experience Museum (located in J.P. Nagar, Bangalore) that spotlights the contribution of birds to our ecological and cultural wealth. The exhibition features stunning photographs and illustrations, a display of musical instruments inspired by birds, audio-visual kiosks showcasing bird calls, computer interactives, and graphic panels that highlight the connections between birds and humans, and the significance of coexistence.

When the Early Bird team was approached by IME in February 2022, we jumped at the chance to collaborate on this exhibit with them, to bring the magic of birds and birdsong to a wider audience. The initial conceptualization and design of the exhibit had been done by IME, and we came on board as their knowledge partners to provide content and media support. The next month and a half was a flurry of hectic activity as we put together text, visuals and videos for two of the four sections of the exhibit – songbirds and backyard birds. The Early Bird team put out a call for video contributions, and separately also contacted photographers for image contributions to the exhibit. Our gratitude to all the contributors who so generously gave their photos and videos!

The exhibit was launched on 1st April 2022, and ran for 5 months, until the end of August 2022, attracting over 35,000 visitors! During this time, there were a number of online and in-person events (bird walks, talks, webinars, workshops and more) organized by the museum, around the theme of birds. A partial list of events is below. 

Saturday 9th April: “Birds and Cities: Balcony Birding” by Garima Bhatia [watch the recording]

Sunday 10th April: Open Day at the Museum (special event for educators only)

Saturday 16th April: Nature Journaling Workshop by Abhisheka Krishnagopal

Saturday 23rd April: Nature Walk at Puttenahalli Lake by Vishnupriya Hathwar

Sunday 24th April: “Birds in Culture: Company Paintings” by Dr. Giles Tillotson [watch the recording]

Saturday 7th May: “Birds and Cities: From Birdwatching to Nature Watching” by Karthikeyan Srinivasan

Saturday 14th May: Nature Journaling Workshop by Sangeetha Kadur 

Sunday 22nd May: Soliga Spotlight at the museum

Thursday 26th May: “Birds in Culture: The Influence of Birds in Hindustani Music” by Aneesh Pradhan [watch the recording]

Sunday 5th June: “Birds and Cities: A Lifetime Ticket to the Theatre of Nature” by Garima Bhatia [watch the recording]

Saturday 11th June: Nature Journaling Workshop by Shilpashree 

Thursday 14th July: “Birds in Culture: The Influence of Birds in Photography” by Bimal Goculdas. [watch the recording]

Saturday 30th July was the closing event of the Birdsong exhibit.  

Those of you not in Bangalore, you can watch a live walk-through of the exhibit that we did on the day of the launch, on Facebook or Instagram. Here’s a short video that shows a glimpse of the exhibit. 

UPDATE: The Birdsong exhibit was back for a short duration! On display at Majestic Metro Station in Bangalore until Dec 12th, at the main entrance of Majestic, the one that connects to KSRTC and BTS bus stands.