And the Birds Did Sing

And the Birds Did Sing

This is about living but it began with a death.
This is about existing and not existing, and a child’s heart-bursting belief that there is something in between.
This is about love.

CURIOUS SEED presents And the Birds Did Sing.  Blending contemporary dance and storytelling, And the Birds Did Sing is an intimate solo dance theatre work, performed with an evocative soundtrack, poetic text and ethereal set design. Loosely structured around creator and performer Christine Devaney’s childhood memories, made in collaboration with musician Luke Sutherland and artist Yvonne Buskie, this work leads the audience on a poignant journey.

Personal in tone, And the Birds Did Sing speaks to universal human themes such as growing up, life and death, the passing of time and love. Holding a delicate balance between sadness and joy, this solo incorporates dance, spoken word, visuals, and music, with humour and tenderness.

The work won a Herald Angel Award at the 2019 Edinburgh Festival Fringe and was runner up for the Scottish Arts Award.

Staying On
Following the performance, Curious Seed have invited Aberdeen-based artists to share their own work at a curated gathering.  Co-curated with Aberdeen Performing Arts and Curious Seed’s Artistic Director, Christine Devaney, this is an invitation for audiences to stay on for an informal celebration of local talent: poems, prose, music, and song. Details of the artists involved will be announced soon!  Please note that Staying On has a content warning for strong/explicit language.

★ ★ ★ ★
“A moving offering of a life marked by love and loss”
The Scotsman

“A poetic and elliptical evocation of childhood memories of loss and resilience
Fest Magazine

★ ★ ★ ★
“Poignantly poetic …. exquisite”
The Herald

Jack Hughes AKA Jackill

Jackill is a rapper, writer and producer from Aberdeen. He has been involved in the Scottish Hip-Hop scene for over ten years and released numerous projects in that time. Alongside being a musician, he works in local communities delivering workshops to young people and adults with barriers to the arts.

The work was inspired by growing up in Scotland and reflects on social issues experienced by myself and others while at the same time telling a story. One of the pieces performed was inspired by a journey of discovery into my Scottish Traveller heritage and looks back to my memories as a child.

From what I know about Curious Seed they use art and creativity as a means of unapologetic expression, to tell stories and to evoke emotion. My work aims to do the same and I hope it resonates with the work Curious Seed do.

Jo Gilbert

Jo Gilbert is a spoken word artist and writer from Aberdeen. Their work features across radio, art, film, and festivals and is widely published in magazines and anthologies. Jo’s debut poetry collection ‘WTF is normal anyway?’ (Seahorse Publications, 2022) was nominated for a Scots Language Award in 2023.

This is a new work in progress piece that has been swirling around in my head for a while.

It resonates with And the Birds Did Sing through the themes of love and grief and how our ideas of those things change as we get older and grow.

Laura Booth

Laura is a dance artist based in Aberdeen. She works in communities and as a performer, bringing movement into people’s lives. She dances with people affected by cancer, refugees, people with additional support needs and anyone who’d like to dance. Laura dances to play, connect and find joy and share.

These are some words from experiences over the last couple of years navigating grief, love and life.

I think it resonates with And the Birds Did Sing because somehow death and pain are the biggest, simplest, most challenging and beautiful reminders of love.