THE Zig Zag Gallery in Kalamunda will be hosting a multi-sensory exhibition that portrays birds as messengers, teachers, and companions in times of change.

What the Birds Told Me is the latest exhibition by artist Claire B Bushby who is a multidisciplinary artist and curator based in Perth, whose work explores interdependence, ecology, and community through collaborative and participatory projects.

Bushby said their exhibition was about looking at the relationships people have with birds.

“Both literally, with the local birds around them and what birds represent for different people,” they said.

“For example, one person I spoke to said that the day their father passed a wagtail came dancing in front of them.

“This is of course normal behaviour for the bird, but the person felt solace through the bird’s appearance during a time of grief.”

Bushby uses textiles, sculpture, sound and video to explore the relation between humans and non-humans, and often through the lens of disability and queerness.

Bushby’s exhibition previous to What the Birds Told Me was called Meet Me In The Garden which also exemplified their artistic philosophy of all artwork being centred around relationships between humans and the non-human natural world.

“Meet Me In The Garden explored how the humble home garden forms part of a network of gardens and greenspaces around suburban homes,” they said.

“By saying human and non-human I’m making a point that humans are not disparate from nature itself.”

Bushby’s previous work titled Bushpig reflected this connection and was one of their more personal pieces that turned past pain into power.

“Bushpig was a particularly personal artwork though because it talked about being bullied at school,” they said.

“The name Bushpig was a pun on my surname and became a daily taunt.

“In this work I reimagined the Bushpig from a scared little girl to a strong powerful pig woman – a protector of the natural world.”

The newest exhibition will be drawing on Bushby’s lived experience as a queer disabled artist living with chronic illness and reflect on listening to the more-than-human world.

The exhibition will open at 4pm on February 14 at Kalamunda’s Zig Zag Gallery.