OU Art Historians contribute to Tate Britain study morning on ‘Birds’

Three researchers from The Open University’s Art History department shared their work at a special study morning held at Tate Britain on 25 March 2026. The event was organised to accompany the gallery’s new exhibition, Birds.

Dr Carla Benzan, Dr Sam Shaw and Dr Robert J. Wallis took part alongside Tim Batchelor, Assistant Curator at Tate Britain, and a wide range of participants working across art, science and conservation. Attendees included staff from Tate Britain and the Natural History Museum, broadcaster and conservationist Chris Packham, and representatives from the London Wetland Centre.

The day began with a guided tour of the exhibition, after which the OU researchers responded to the artworks with short presentations based on their current research and public engagement projects.

Dr Sam Shaw spoke about his recent work with the National Trust at Attingham Park and the Floodplain Meadow Partnership. He explained how artworks in historic collections can help support modern floodplain restoration efforts by encouraging new ways of thinking about landscapes and environmental change.

Dr Carla Benzan presented her research on a seventeenth‑century Feather Book held in the Blacker‑Wood Collection at McGill University. The book features detailed collages made from feathers, showing birds and human figures from the Lombardy region of Italy. Drawing on the Art and Ecology project, she highlighted how bringing art and science collections together can support community‑led responses to climate change.

Dr Robert J. Wallis focused on several artworks in the exhibition that depict birds of prey. He connected these works to his research on historic falconry and wider questions about how humans have related to raptors over time.

The study morning was held alongside the transhistorical Birds display in Room 7 at Tate Britain, at the heart of the Historic and Early Modern British Art galleries. Curated by Tim Batchelor, the display brings together 32 artworks by 20 British artists, dating from the seventeenth century to the present day. Artists include Pieter Casteels, William Gow Ferguson, Cedric Morris, Elisabeth Frink and Henry Moore, offering visitors an opportunity to explore how artists across time have responded to the beauty and symbolism of birds.