Once We Were Trees, Now We Are Birds

Have You Ever Heard That Bird’s Song?

One of the primary reasons birds sing is to protect their territory. Through songs, they signal their presence: I am here, I exist. These songs can be interpreted not only as a form of signal communication, but as a complex and fragile exchange between the birds and their surrounding world. No two bird songs are ever identical.

Have you heard the robin’s song?  A clear, melodious whistle that greets the morning sun, celebrating the beginning of a new day – a symbol of hope and renewal. Or the starling, who produces smooth, liquid sounds, harsh trills and rattles, and even imitates the calls of other birds. At night, the common nightingale can be heard singing its nocturnal songs from well-hidden perches in the trees.

For safety, birds typically choose tall trees to sing from. Their branches and foliage offer protection from predators, wind and rain. Trees also provide shelter for the nests where young birds grow and develop.
Solid and rooted into the earth, trees offer a protective space for those migrating from one place to another, always on the move or just living free of captivity.

The festival Once We Were Trees, Now We Are Birds expands on themes explored in the eponymous exhibition, drawing on a local belief from the southeastern coast of Turkey in which doves sing: “Oh my neighbour, oh Oleaster tree, once we were trees, now we are birds”. This poetic expression evokes the fragility of belonging, the uprootedness caused by displacement, and the inner dynamics of starting anew in unfamiliar lands. It speaks to the fluidity of identity, the fragility of home, and the resilience required to navigate displacement.

The festival consists of four main parts: a performance and a film programme curated by Emrah Gökdemir, music sessions curated by Ludmila Pogodina, and a literature and discourse programme curated by Kholoud Bidak and Anna Karpenko.

Over three days (6 – 8 June, 2025), visual artists, performers, musicians, poets, writers, and filmmakers – all former fellows of the Martin Roth-Initiative – will share their unique songs, stories, visual narratives, and poetic statements. Their work explores themes of loss and grief, joy and happiness, displacement and transgression – the life of a bird in search of its nesting tree.

In this context, the Kunsthaus ACUD is not merely a venue: it is a temporary nest. A sanctuary where voices shaped by displacement can resonate together and give rise to new imaginaries.
 
Looking up at the birds in the summer sky, then down to the trees offering shelter in their branches, we see the beautiful connection between two beings – one made to fly, the other to hold. They meet for a time, and in that pause, they share their songs. Like all of us, they have different trajectories, but once in a while they pause to experience the multiplicity and uniqueness of our patterns, our shared world.

Join us with your songs and enjoy a warm welcome in our temporary nest at ACUD!

Your Festival Birds,
Kholoud Bidak, Emrah Gökdemir, Anna Karpenko, Ludmila Pogodina