Otherstory have been working with the Art Against War Club to contribute to the Anatomy of Solidarity exhibition at the Bristol M-Shed from March 10th to April 12th 2026.

In these war-racked times we wanted to create a puppet that expressed the beauty and vulnerability of our world.  We have created a giant Palestine Sunbird flying above a tandem which will be taken on protests in solidarity with Palestine and against the Israeli arms company Elbit. 

Its long curved bill reaches towards a flower – to drink the nectar.  Its outstretched wings span about two and a half metres.  On the front of the tandem is a nest with three pale blue eggs bearing the words: Peace, Land and Autonomy.

Real Sunbirds are very small – the size of a wren.  They feed on nectar but can also eat insects and spiders, especially when feeding their young.

The Palestine Sunbird knows no borders. It is free, unlike the people living where it flies.

The Palestine Sunbird was declared the national bird of Palestine in 2015 after the Israeli occupiers tried to change its name in their efforts to erase Palestinian identity.

The artist Khaled Jarrar designed postage and passport stamps for the State of Palestine, using the Palestine Sunbird as the motif.

The bird has also become the badge of the paracycling group – the Gaza Sunbirds. These athletes have turned to delivering aid to people in Gaza.