In the heart of the city, a vast host of introduced and native birds form assemblies of resistance to the abrasive encroachment of petro-capitalist urban development. The adaptive intelligence of these birds in the midst of such devastation is something that the artist-in-residence (Alex Last) aimed to track and explore.

Entangling with the local avian population through a combination of diverse experimental, scientific and ecologically-grounded methodologies, Alex looked to synchronise with avian temporal rhythms while exploring their intricate and evolutionarily-unique modes of communication and coordination. Through a daily practise of listening, scavenging, nutrient cycling, habitat building, feeding, recording and notational observation, Alex learnt from local avians with the aim of perhaps building a collaborative response to the imminently perilous and ever-thickening urban landscape.

The residency culminated in an open studio on Friday 19 and Saturday 20 October, beautifully exhibiting these observations in an urban gallery context.