The souvenir of a song recital that did not happen – or the score for a performance that accompanies every sunrise between any January and July – The Same Blackbird was published to celebrate the quatercentenary of the Oxford Botanic Garden. The C5 postal packet comprises two excerpts from Strathmore – a scrupulous transcription of blackbird song by Stevie Wishart – and Blackbird Rhapsody, a response by Alice Oswald. The reverse of the envelope shows a mezzotint by Sarah Gillespie, which she has engraved and editioned as part of the wider artistic collaboration. The packet was mailed free to 250 subscribers in the days leading up to Garden’s birthday on July 25th 2021. Leftovers are on sale here.
