BIRDSONG

Birdsong brings together three video works by David Claerbout – The Woodcarver and the Forest, Birdcage and Backwards Growing Tree – each a meditation on time, perception and the poetics of the natural world. In an era dominated by speed and distraction, Claerbout reclaims the longue durée, offering a contemplative, detoxed form of filmmaking. Accompanied by a poem by Stefan Hertmans, this volume explores the myths of digitisation, the rhythms of nature, growth and degrowth. Birdsong is a visual journey through the imaging ideas that the artist has developed over the past decade. With countless film stills from a previously unreleased video, this publication offers a unique insight into the artist’s working process.
This publication coincides with Claerbout’s exhibition At the window at Gaasbeek Castle from 27 June until 16 November 2025.