Mark it in your diary! Everyone is welcome at the new Compensare: For the Swallows We Weigh exhibition at Eastside Projects, Birmingham in Spring 2026. This FREE exhibition by Marley Starskey Butler is infused with the experiences of carers and birth / adoptive families engaging with therapeutic play to strengthen relationships via Beacon Family Services. Expect moments of joy, curiosity, acknowledgment and reflection as you explore the space – and everyone is welcome to come along to a linked programme of free events and workshops, too. See details below.
Exhibition details
Exhibition run time: 24th January to 4th April 2026
Public launch evening: Friday 23rd January 6-8pm (all welcome)
Location: Eastside Projects, 86 Heath Mill Lane, Birmingham B9 4AR (see visitor information)
Exhibition opening times: Wednesday to Saturday, 12–5pm
Cost to attend: FREE
Booking requirements: None. Simply turn up
Compensare: For the Swallows We Weigh
- In what ways can art shine a light on the experience of nurturing the emotional wellbeing and resilience of a child as an adoptive parent, birth parent, or foster carer?
- How can art offer a sense of that journey of seeking and receiving support to further that child’s emotional development in meaningful ways?
- As a family, how can it feel to consciously work with each other’s energies, to play, and ultimately to connect through the therapeutic medium of joyful relational play?
Compensare is a Latin word which means “to counterbalance, to make up for, to weigh against each other”. It is the root of the English word compensate. The nuances of compensare are core to the vision of Marley Starskey Butler, who – in creating this exhibition as an Incidental Artist with Eastside Projects – has transformed the experience of families into a space for both shared and personal reflection.
Compensare: For the Swallows We Weigh offers a blend of mixed media art installation and participatory events throughout early Spring. This exhibition is the result of Marley Starskey Butler’s research into how Beacon Family Services use Theraplay® and Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy (DDP) to support children and parents or caregivers, particularly in adoptive or fostering families in Birmingham and across the UK, to make sense of their family’s world and strengthen their relationships.
Speaking to the emotional, psychosocial, and political landscapes that hold balances and counterbalances for Beacon Family Services, the work uses elements of the language embedded in their therapeutic techniques, translating them through processes of observation, movement and choreography and generating new understandings and insights through iterative processes, layered prompts, musical composition and play.
Programme of events 2026
23rd January – exhibition launch (6-8pm, open to public)
Dates tba – Theraplay® groups for parents / carers and children
February date tba – Movement workshop for parents / carers and children
March date tba – Artist roundtable event with Marley Starskey Butler and guests
Stay informed:
Follow Beacon Family Services and Eastside Projects for upcoming events and dates for your diary. You can also contact Beacon Family Services and sign up to communications to stay in the know.
About the artist
Grounded in lived professional and familial experience in child protection, fostering, adoption, and mental health, their work centres on themes of well-being, social justice, and human rights. These experiences inform both the content and methodology of their practice, positioning it at an intersection of art and social care.
Recent exhibitions and projects include Thirty-Six, Midlands Art Centre, Birmingham (2024); Hospital Rooms – Sandwell CAMHS (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services) (2023/4); Dwelling, Eagle Works Studios, Wolverhampton (2024); Reclaiming Narratives: Voices from the College of Medicine and Health, Barber Institute of Fine Arts (2024/25); Reflector, The New Art Gallery Walsall (2024/25), Blast Creative Network, The Wolverhampton School of Art, Wolverhampton (2023); Picturing High Streets, FORMAT International Photography Festival, Derby (2023); Freedom, National Justice Museum, Nottingham (2023); Portrait of Britain, British Journal of Photography, Nationwide – JCDecaux Screen (2022); East Meets West, FORMAT International Photography Festival, Derby (2021).
About Beacon Family Services
We believe every child deserves the chance to thrive. Based in Sutton Coldfield, we support families in Birmingham and the UK by addressing the pressing need for early mental health support with relational, authentic, and inclusive services that have proven impact.
Our therapists and practitioners empower parents, including adoptive parents and special guardians, to build strong healthy connections with their children through therapeutic play and techniques including Theraplay® and Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy (DDP). Our evidence-based, flexible approaches provide parents, carers and professionals with the tools to foster emotional wellbeing and resilience in children, strengthening relationships and addressing behavioural challenges in a meaningful way. Families, Professionals and Commissioners and Funders of our services can click the link to find out more!