Home Bird (Casa)

Description

In 2022, Patrick was commissioned by The Crescent Arts Centre in Belfast to study their colony of Swifts and create a visual response. Every year, these remarkable birds travel thousands of miles from Mozambique to nest on The Crescent’s roof, where they find safety and the freedom to express themselves through intricate flight patterns and joyful calls. Here, they raise a new generation, which will eventually embark on the same journey, continuing the cycle. This is something truly special.

Swifts are among the fastest birds, covering an astonishing 1.24 million miles in their lifetime—equivalent to flying to the Moon and back five times. Rarely landing, they can remain in continuous flight for up to three years, feeding and even sleeping on the wing. For around 100 days each year, approximately 100 Swifts make their home at The Crescent, a fleeting yet poetic residency worth celebrating.

Patrick was inspired to incorporate words within the form of the Swift, focusing on the word “HOME” translated into multiple languages—from “Casa” in Mozambique to Japanese and beyond. This reflects The Crescent’s role as a home to many nationalities in modern Belfast. Like his earlier work Belonging, this print highlights our universal need for a place to call home, wherever we are in the world.