Sydney has a plethora of hidden delights right across its expanding city. Take a wrong turn and you’re likely to come across one. They’re usually in plain site, resting quietly for you to uncover them. For months, inspired by images of Bird Cages, I have been super keen to find Angel Place and explore its lane way.
Earlier this week I travelled into Bridge Street for a day of professional learning. When it finished I decided to weave through the lane ways to Town Hall rather than heading for Circular Quay to catch my train. It was on this adventure that I finally walked down Angel Place to see the suspended bird cages. It was breathtaking. I was amazed, drawn in by the bird song that accompanies the installation. Who would know that this could be found in the middle of our city!
On my train ride home I started thinking about the bird cages. Why were they there? Who put them there? Egged on by my curiosity, I decided to do a little research. I was a little horrified by what I discovered.
The installation is titled Forgotten Songs. It was installed way back in 2012 and was created by a bevy of people including Dave Towey, Dr Richard Major, Michael Thomas Hill and Richard Wong. It is a commemoration. The 50 birdsongs that you hear as you walk under the birdcages represent the 50 birds that were once heard in Sydney before European settlement. Each was forced out as the city developed. That troubles me. As day shifts to night the bird song adapts to feature nocturnal birds. What an intense installation.
Currently there are 219 birds native to NSW that are either extinct or threatened with extinction. This has occurred due to habitat loss due to human impact. Now that we know, what are we going to do?
Forgotten Songs runs along Angel Place between George Street to Pitt Street. It is free and open all day.
I had no idea what this was about until you posted on it. How awful!
I’ve have wandered through there admiring those bird cages often and never knew the story behind them – so thank you for sharing x