Pigeon Whistles remains one of Nathaniel Mann’s most iconic and unconventional works — a composition performed not by musicians on stage, but by Birmingham Roller pigeons flying overhead carrying handmade whistles.

The project emerged from Mann’s fascination with sound, movement and the relationships between humans and animals. Working alongside pigeon fanciers, he designed custom whistles attached to the birds so that the changing patterns of flight generated shifting harmonic textures in the sky. The result was an orchestra in motion: unpredictable, fragile and impossible to repeat in exactly the same form.

The work challenged ideas of authorship and performance, blurring the line between composition and environment. It was awarded the George Butterworth Trust Prize for Composition, recognising its originality and its ability to transform everyday life into a profound listening experience.

More than spectacle, Pigeon Whistles encapsulates Mann’s broader practice: an interest in crafting situations where sound emerges from systems, rituals and collaborations that extend beyond conventional music-making.