a velvet ant
Level Two
Installation view of A velvet ant, a flower and a bird, Potter Museum of Art, the University of Melbourne, 2026. Photography by Christian Capurro.
Birds have long been symbols of freedom, imagination and transformation. In The Conference of the Birds by Farid ud-Din Attar, birds travel together in search of a mythical king. At the end of their journey, they discover that the leader they were seeking was themselves.
The story suggests another way to think about freedom and intelligence. These qualities do not belong only to individuals. They can emerge through relationships and collective movement, much like a flock of birds moving through the sky.
Birds also appear in music and theatre. In the opera The Magic Flute by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, the character Papageno is a bird catcher who dreams of companionship and joy. Through stories like these, birds remind us that imagination, curiosity and connection can open new ways of living together on this planet.