Output details

Fly birdie fly

'Fly Birdie Fly' is an investigation by Westerman and Dr John Hart, a researcher in Sports Science, at SHU into cross-disciplinary research processes. Over a two-year period, the investigators worked together to devise, test, and expand experimental methodologies for collaborative enquiry. The film 'Fly Birdie Fly' was the final outcome of an investigation of disparate working processes, discipline-specific language and agendas in order to develop a creative space between art and sports science. This research was part of the EPSRC-funded programme 'Engineering for Life' at SHU.

In 2012, the Olympic year, sport was highly visible. Modern sport is reliant on technological advancement and detailed analysis, yet the resulting data is frequently hidden from the drama of the sporting event. The growing public awareness of the role of sports science offered a gateway to exploring the shared concerns between science and other disciplines in a highly public environment.

'Fly Birdie Fly' offers insight into and analyses of the origins and flight of the shuttlecock, presenting the data in a poetic narrative. It takes the shuttlecock to its origins, the source of the feathers, exploring the story of the goose, from the dynamics of the feather to the final flick, smash, and drop of the Birdie. The film’s soundscape expands narrative possibilities, from the changing air pressure in the wake of the shuttlecock to the communicative gaggle of geese.

The work was exhibited at: 'World Badminton Championships' (Wembley Arena) at the invitation of Badminton England, and presented daily on the stadium screens throughout the Championship; included in the Cultural Olympiad, 'Alight' and 'BBC Big Screens' program in Leeds and Bradford; 'Chemistry of Incidences: Film at the intersection of art and science documentary', Sheffield Doc/Fest Fringe; 'Engineering For Life: Understanding Interdisciplinarity: Theory and Practice', conference SHU, 2012, leading to an IAS Fellowship at Durham University 2014.