Lecture on Nesting (London Festival of Architecture)
- Artist: Andy Holden
- Date: 2010
- Medium: Screenprint on paper
- Dimensions: image: 508 x 390 mm
- Museum: Tate Britain
- Collection record: Tate Britain website
Listen to the free audio guide
About this artwork
This is “Lecture on Nesting (London Festival of Architecture)” by Andy Holden. The screenprint, printed on paper at St Barnabas Press in Cambridge, shows a black‑and‑white illustration of an ovenbird perched on a nest. The image was taken from a small illustration that Holden’s father, ornithologist Peter Holden, borrowed from a book in 2010, then adapted in Photoshop for screenprinting. The poster served as the visual identity for Holden’s first collaborative performance with his father—a 45‑minute, largely improvised talk at the London Festival of Architecture. Peter shared a scientific view of bird nests, drawing on slide images from his career, while Andy approached nests as sculptural objects made by birds, offering a poetic counterpoint. The performance also touched on the aesthetic aspects of nest construction, echoing the dual language of biology and art. This poster is one of a handful of Holden’s performance‑related screenprints, produced in small editions to promote each event. It encapsulates the playful yet thoughtful dialogue between father and son, and between nature and human creativity.
See it in person
Lecture on Nesting (London Festival of Architecture) is in the collection of Tate Britain on Millbank, London — free to enter. Point your phone at any artwork there and audioguide.london plays a free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
