Birds and history

 

 

 

Stephen Mathewson is taken to be one of the most important people in Alte Saline. He joined the team of the Summer Academy over 18 years ago. The building back then was more inaccessible from class to class which resulted that there were less connections between the students, something he noticed straight away. Pushed by some of the professors he decided to start a small gallery, open for all to exhibit- students, professors, members of the public, naming it "Gallery in Alcatraz".

 

Today was a holiday in Austria and a very quiet day. The exhibition in Alcatraz was just an excuse and an opportunity for students to meet in the courtyard, listen to music and mingle. I decided to talk to Steve about birds,the ones we can all hear, as they seem to be just another thing that makes the space of Alte Saline in Hallein a space for inspiration.

 

.......

 

Stephen Mathewson: What question do you have about them?

 

Ksenija Pantelic: Can you tell me something about the birds?

 

SM: There is one family of birds that live here.

 

KP: For how long?

 

SM: Ever since I came here.

 

KP: So that is over 20 years ago...

 

SM:No, no, 18 years.

 

KP: And what happens to them?

 

SM: They have nests in different parts of the courtyard, machine rooms, and different sections of the building. It appears to be the same bird family but there is never any more than the ones living here. It is not like a bunch of them hanging out. I don't know if they live here in winter. I don't think so. I would guess they fly south. But this type of bird, one family, always comes back to this building. They build different nests, sometimes they use same nests. But it is usually a same couple.

 

KP: What type of bird is it?

 

SM: I am not sure. Some kind of meise. When the babies are born, this year the mother had two sets of babies, they give birth and go and do stuff around. I am sure that at the end of the Academy, when I am here alone they will be visiting me. You can hear them...Lots of times the mother sits out here when I am in there and does this (Steve making a sound) trying to get me to come with her. At times she would even fly in the office. I've know this family for a long time and I am not sure if they truly know who I am... They have a little colour to them, deep reds but other than that they look just like sparrow. But they are different; they like to live in this house or houses like this, old factories. Only one summer we had falcons here.

 

KP: So apart from the fact that the mother bird comes here and asks you to go after her, anything else happening with the birds?

 

SM: Lots of the time they get confused in different sections of the building and keep flying against windows and you find them dead. Lot of the time you find babies dead... I never took them away, artist usually like to look at them. Dead bird is an interesting thing to draw or a bird skeleton.

 

KP: So that is pretty much the story about birds.

 

SM: Yes, that is pretty much the story about birds. It is one thing that I know I will be greeted with, each year. It has never not been here.

 

KP: But, what will happen next year?

 

SM: The birds will be here.

 

(click bellow to listen )

 

https://soundcloud.com/summeracademy/birds-in-the-machine-room-alte