Flights of fancy: birds and multilingualism
One bird. Five continents. A hundred different stories.
As part of Curiosity Carnival, Creative Multilingualism commissioned a performance by Pegasus Theatre and The Conker Group to share the story of the humble barn swallow, and the different names and myths associated with the bird as it journeys across the globe. The bird has a contradictory image; for some cultures the swallow brings luck, for others it is a harbinger of doom. Flights of Fancy explores the myths and language associated with the swallow through song, stories and movement. The performance brings to life our naming strand, which is investigating the creativity at work as people across diverse language backgrounds respond to the natural world through naming, metaphor, and myth.
Watch the video below to find out more about Flights of Fancy from Pegasus Theatre’s Creative Director, Corinne Micallef, and get a glimpse of the performance. Discover how Corinne translated our research into performance, and learn how languages and multilingualism affect her work with young performers.
Photos of the performance below:
Photos by John Cairns taken at Curiosity Carnival.
Where next?
What have birds got to do with multilingualism?
Are little deers jumping in your heart? (And other multilingual metaphors)