Still a bird

The durational performance Still a bird moves towards stillness. Its impact is unpredictable. A feathered figure slowly transforms from object to animal to human. The audience bears silent witness. In dialogue with M’s collection, this Birdwoman explores the tension between proximity and distance: to the space, the artworks and the museum visitor. Her presence moves between appearing and disappearing, between looking and being looked at.

In 2015, Rebecca Lenaerts began collecting bird feathers from the streets during a period of vulnerability. What started as a daily walking routine grew into a ritual that reminds us that grief and recovery have their own timing. Over the years, the prolonged process of collecting and sewing feathers became an inner search for softness and gentleness. Durational performance creates a space beyond action and narrative, where attention and presence can become a shared experience between performer and audience.

Credits

Concept and performance Rebecca Lenaerts Creation feather blanket in collaboration with the bird community and with the assistance of Sonia Anicéto Co-production Platform 0090 With support of Flanders State of the Art, HETLAB Hasselt, Sabam for Culture, PUSH+ (Creative Europe)