Conference of the Neighbours is a bronze portrait of trees and birds dwelling in the neighbourhood surrounding the Bessarion Community Centre. The design is based on interaction with local flora and fauna and on the observations of community members. The work’s title is inspired by The Conference of the Birds (c. 1177), a celebrated epic poem written in Persian by the poet Farid ud-Din Attar. It  is a story of community dialogue and group achievement.

Conference of the Neighbours takes place in a Sweetgum tree planted among thirteen other Sweetgums on the entry walkway between Sheppard Street and the Centre. This ageless bronze tree is a portrait of trees of different ages – their parts duplicated and collaged together to create a playful interpretation of a tree of trees.

In the tree’s branches sit thirty birds, also cast in bronze and painted in vivid colours. The birds are portraits of local avian citizens. A call will be made to the community surrounding the Bessarion Community Centre to submit drawings and paintings of birds they have observed in the area. These drawings have been interpreted in three dimensions by the artists, then cast in bronze, painted, and placed to join the conference in the collaged Sweetgum tree and nearby buildings. For years to come, local community members who have submitted selected drawings to the process will be able to see their portraits perched in the tree at the entryway to their community centre. (Quoted from the winning proposal.)