Innovative bird-watching experience The Hide to appear at Billingham's Festival of Thrift this September
This year’s Festival of Thrift returns to Billingham, Tees Valley, on Saturday 20 and Sunday 21 September, transforming Billingham Town Centre and John Whitehead Park into a vibrant canvas of sustainability and creative expression. Amid the festival’s rich tapestry of events, one particularly poignant highlight is “The Hide”, a live solo performance audio installation by Tilly Ingram.
Step into the stillness of the The Hide and see what might not always be visible. In this charming live birdwatching experience, Tilly of Tilly Ingram Theatre shares her love of birdwatching and lived experiences as a woman with a non-visible disability.
As an artist whose practice is centred around our relationship with nature, Tilly tells the story of G463, a disabled White-Tailed Eagle, who inspired her love affair with birds. The Hide encourages audiences to sit and appreciate the spaces around us, considering what might not be immediately obvious to the eye. The Hide is supported by Without Walls and commissioned by Brighton Festival and Norfolk & Norwich Festival.
The Hide promises to be an immersive birdwatching experience where audiences are invited into a quiet, reflective space - binoculars in hand - to observe and listen, guided by Tilly as she shares her personal journey.
The Hide will be presented in John Whitehead Park, alongside performances exploring nature, environmental care, and creativity. Activities in the park include interactive art installations, eco‑workshops (like sustainable seed sowing, recycled paper jewelry, eco-cleaning products), and other performances like Bamboo by NoFit State and Hydropunk by Artizani.
Festival of Thrift (FoT) is the UK national festival of sustainable living, positioning artists as inspirers to action and encouraging change through workshops, exhibitions and performances, giving families the confidence to create while having fun on a budget.
Reaching new audiences from all over the UK year on year, the focus has always been on how we as individuals can make those small changes, the shift to thrift, that will add up to a big difference for the future of our planet, and encouraging others to join in.
Without Walls is a network of over 30 festivals and arts organisations that brings fantastic outdoor arts to people in towns and cities across England. Since its formation in 2007, Without Walls has developed and toured over 200 new shows by UK companies and supported the Research and Development of over 70 projects. Without Walls commissions have toured widely both in the UK and internationally across 22 countries.
As The Hide brings its quiet power to Billingham, it promises to offer audiences a rare moment of gentle yet profound introspection right in the middle of a bustling festival weekend.