Bringing Horsfall’s Birds to Life with Sound

Yellow Breasted Long Tailed Chat

As the “Birds of the Pacific Coast: The Illustrations of R. Bruce Horsfall” exhibit at the Oregon Historical Society comes to a close, we at Sticky Culture are excited to share the impact of our interactive experience. Running from September 22, 2023, to May 19, 2024, the exhibit featured fifty-five watercolors commissioned for a 1923 field guide.

Our contribution introduced bird sounds into the otherwise quiet space, enriching the visitor experience. Participants engaged with digital versions of select paintings, listened to bird calls, and attempted to identify the bird before it was revealed in the artwork. This approach not only enhanced the educational aspect but also added an element of delight and challenge for birders and art enthusiasts alike.

Despite a very limited budget, we creatively overcame financial constraints. We utilized a large passive display with two arcade buttons located in a reader rail below the display, connected to a microcontroller and a Mac mini. One button played the bird sound, sourced from the Cornell Lab Macaulay Library, while the other revealed the bird and advanced to the next scene. Additionally, we used new AI tools to seamlessly remove birds from the paintings, displaying these edited images when the bird sound played. Visitors could then choose to reveal the bird and its name.

For project management, we used Notion to collaborate with OHS and organize the images, sounds, and copy. This streamlined our workflow and ensured a smooth integration of interactive elements.

Birding by Ear

The interactive elements drew significant interest and participation:

  • Total Birds Spotted: 15,338 (over 281 days)

  • Birds Spotted Per Day: 44 (median)

These metrics highlight the engagement and interest generated by the interactive, deepening visitors’ appreciation and understanding of Horsfall’s work.

We’re grateful to the Oregon Historical Society for the opportunity to contribute to this enriching exhibit. We look forward to many more collaborative projects that bring art and education to life.

You’ll notice in the chart that Friday, March 8th was a particularly noisy day. On that day, a group of 80+ elementary students took a field trip to the museum. The students’ favorite bird call came from the Varied Thrush, as pictured nearby.