Author Margaret Atwood knits a bird for British exhibition on extinct species

Canadian literary great Margaret Atwood is a longtime environmental advocate with a special interest in birds.

In her latest show of support for the feathered world, she's parked her pen (or laptop, I suppose) and picked up her knitting needles.

Atwood, whose partner Graeme Gibson wrote The Bedside Book of Birds, has stitched a woollen representation of the extinct great auk as part of an exhibition entitled Ghosts of Gone Birds, at the Rochelle School in London, England.

The British show, which opens in early November, features paintings, sculptures and other representations of birds that have disappeared such as the dodo, passenger pigeon and Hawaiian crow, Postmedia's Randy Boswell reports.

The works come from well-known artists, musicians and writers such as Atwood plus other celebrities.

"To find so many creative people engaged with the subject of birds and the threat of extinction that faces so many of them today, is truly inspiring," Atwood says in a statement. "This magnificent show will reconnect us to the natural world, teach us about our past, and fuel our interest in saving what we are losing daily."

According to BirdLife International, which Atwood and Gibson help support, the multi-media exhibition first debuted at the Liverpool School of Art and Design earlier this year and has grown for the upcoming exhibition at the Eastend London gallery.

The contributors include famed cartoonist Ralph Steadman - a longtime collaborator of late gonzo journalist Hunter S. Thompson - who drew a dodo, which like the great auk was a flightless bird hunted to extinction.

Atwood recently called birds the Earth's "canary in the coal mine" when it comes to signalling the effect of climate change.

Besides contributing the knitted auk, Atwood is scheduled to perform a reading at the exhibition in London on Nov. 7.

Proceeds from the exhibition will go to BirdLife, which is also expected to tour North America following the London show.

"We're aiming to raise a creative army for conservation and it's fair to say that we have been floored by the response of the artists we've asked to create new work for us," exhibit curator and film-maker Ceri Levy told Postmedia. "To have the likes of (British pop artist) Sir Peter Blake, Ralph Steadman, and Margaret Atwood producing new work for the exhibition is a clear illustration of the enthusiasm and support that exists for the cause.

"We want to get people thinking about the diverse range of birds that have already been lost to extinction."

Great auks once flourished in Atlantic Canada and were described as penguins, though they're not related. The last known pair of great auks were killed on an island off the coast of Iceland in 1844 for a collector who wanted them.

(Reuters photo)