The call of the Light-vented Bulbul sounds to some like “follow the rules,” and by others like “You are beautiful.”  When we try to translate an unfamiliar string of sounds into human language, are we really understanding the bird—or simply hearing ourselves? Birds, of course, do not sing according to our subtitles. But once we begin by “pretending to understand,” our ears seem to open up: it turns out that all kinds of birds have been calling around us all along.

Currently on view at UCCA Center for Contemporary Art, “Carsten Höller: Two” offers an intriguing point of departure for reconsidering the relationship between perception, judgment, and reality. Trained in agricultural science and an experienced birdwatcher, Höller has, throughout more than three decades of artistic practice, explored how doubt can prompt us to re-examine habitual experiences. Are the things we see, hear, and believe really as reliable as we imagine?

Compared with observing a bird’s form, listening to birdsong can feel far more abstract. A sound may come from a treetop, beneath the eaves, or deep within a thicket: we often hear it before we ever see its source. For birdwatchers, identifying birds by sound is often considered an advanced skill. This time, however, we can set aside the pressure of getting the right answer and simply begin by listening.

“When You Begin to Hear Birds” invites birdwatcher and bird-call identification enthusiast Jeff Ma to use “pretending to understand a bird” as a starting point, guiding participants to turn their attention toward listening. Together, we will listen closely to the birds around us, explore the surprising ways birdsong is used in film and television, hear about Ma’s experiences of birdwatching with visually impaired people, and take part in imitation, listening games, and outdoor observation. Through these exercises, we will explore another way of perceiving the familiar urban environment.

If we really could understand what birds were saying, what would we hear?

Perhaps before understanding, we first need to learn how to listen again.

During “Carsten Höller: Two,” UCCA partners with the Friends of Nature (FON) Wild Bird Society to present a four-part program exploring urban bird collisions, tracking birds through their calls, raptor migration, the sky and birdwatching, and related topics. Together, this four-part programs invite us to become reacquainted with the avian neighbors who share our cities.