
A Little Bird Told Me
A little Bird Told Me is a nature tour around Woodberry Wetlands near Manor House in north London, where herring gulls visit regularly and act as they would in their natural habit. However, herring gulls, one of the most common forms of urban wildlife, are actually an endangered species in the UK due to over-fishing and habitat destruction. Although people might think that herring gulls are thriving well in the city, their total population has halved since their migration inland 50 years ago. To adapt to the new habitat, herring gulls have successfully learned new coping strategies. To the human city dwellers, nevertheless, they remain ‘pests’. This project aims to support nature conservation and to build empathy for urban wildlife. By changing the perspective to that of the urban gull and providing relevant sensory inputs, the nature tour invites participants to discover the hidden stories of the urban gulls.
| Role | Concept development
Graphic design
Installation design
| Year | Jun 2020
| Location | Woodberry Wetlands, London, UK
| Collaboration | Woodberry Wetland:
London Wildlife Trust team
| Award | MullenLowe NOVA Awards 2020
(Nomination)
Maison/0 Green Trail Award 2020
(Shortlist)
| Graduation Project at Central Saint Martins |

Woodberry Wetlands
Woodberry Wetlands is a nature reserve in Woodberry Down, Hackney, London


Herring gull
Herring gulls used to live close to the coast. Now, they can be found easily in urban area

Self-guided tour kit
This kit is designed for participants to experience a gull's life at the wetlands

Instruction


1) read the map
2) don the poncho
3) put on the
audio guide set
4) wear the goggles
5) store your
belongings
6) enjoy your tour


Gull Goggles
The extended eyewear with gradient crystal polarised lenses provides a wide visual field and vivid colour effects like gull's vision


Poncho (two sizes provided)
The poncho is made out of polyester fabric. The tailoring is similar to a traditional Japanese garment, jinbei, which makes the design suitable for a wide range of body sizes





Audio guide set
The open ear headset enables participants to enjoy both the audio guide and nature sounds during the tour





Participant look

Tour map
The map guides participants to follow the sign to listen to the corresponding audio guide at different spots

Periscope installation
The installation uses a system of lenses and mirrors to reflect images through a tube, which invites viewers to see the wetlands from a new height like a flying gull


Interaction
Interaction with visitors at Woodbery Wetlands




Illustrated storyboard
Here you can see a detailed visitor's experience






| Credit |
Spatial Design Consultancy: Yaatzil Ceballos Fernandez
Voice Actors/Actresses: Francesco Oneto, Georgia Hughes, Tom Morrison, Tomas Thorsson, and Brodie Weir
Script Editing: Tarit Gautham and Judy Hallgarten
Technical Support: Shupin Liu, Wei Mao, and Carine Vy Tran
Concept Development Consultancy: Marcus Comaschi, Amy Haigh, and Kumi Oda
Ornithology Consultancy: Ralph Hancock
Special thanks to Hadi El Ali, Andy Flegg, and Eunbi Kim