A Bird at My Window and Other Stories, Saolta Paediatric Units
Artists
Sarah Fuller and Manuela Corbari
When
Launching 8th April 2021
Supported by
- Galway 2020
- Saolta Arts
- Saolta University Health Care Group
It captured her imagination and took her mind off her operation. I think it is just perfect for a hospital setting.
– Parent
Saolta Arts and Galway 2020 European Capital of Culture presents A bird at my window and other stories as part of The Deepest Shade of Green.
Transforming the bedsides of young patients into miniature theatre spaces, Sarah Fuller and Manuela Corbari share an enchanting collection of stories where the natural and human worlds are intertwined. A bird at my window and other stories is a magical and thought-provoking response to an Italian children’s book, where nature provides a backdrop of wonder for tales about love for the weakest and smallest creatures, love for diversity, and about the deep significance of caring for those in need. Here plants and humans become friends, animals can talk, and flowers think like philosophers – exploring our connection to each other and the world around us.
Inspired by the book Nine Stories About Love by Italian writer Giovanna Zoboli and Portuguese illustrator Anna Ventura, the artists developed a series of immersive and intimate bedside performances through an extended process of engagement with young patients and their families at University Hospital Galway. Melding puppetry, storytelling, and shadow play, a tabletop response to these experiences then evolved to support family play across the five Paediatric Units of Saolta University Health Care Group: University Hospital Galway, Portiuncula University Hospital, Mayo University Hospital, Sligo University Hospital and Letterkenny University Hospital.
Created as a limited edition for young patients across the Saolta Group, their shadow box theatre is accompanied by a suite of downloadable stories and soundscapes. Along with an instruction video, these have been developed to enable creative, family-led play in paediatric wards without the artists being present. They can also be used to inspire children at home to make their own shadow box theatre and a set of characters from the stories is available as a printable template to help them start. Click on the stories and templates below to begin your adventures in shadow play.
A Walk in Nature
An adventure in water
The boy and the book
The girl who dreamt she was sprouting
The little girl and the bird
The man who felt full of rain
The story of the busy man
The Watering Can’s story
The welcome
The woman who said goodbye
The woman with the watering can
For more about the artists visit www.alittledoor.ie and www.sarahfuller.net
Header image:The boy and the book , Sarah Fuller and Manuela Corbari.
Thumbnail image: The story of the busy man, Sarah Fuller and Manuela Corbari.
All images & film © Tom Flanagan