An abandoned programme
Work Description: During the Govid-19 epidemic, people were asked to leave their homes as little as possible. The past year of reduced human activity has seen some changes to the planet’s ecology, with better air quality and clearer waters. The chirping of birds, normally covered by the sound of vehicles and crowds, can now be heard. In certain seas, schools of whales have appeared.
The original reference installations and documentary film:
- From Here to Ear, Céleste Boursier-Mougenot
- Clinamen, Céleste Boursier-Mougenot, 2013
- Electrostatic Bell Choir, Darsha Hewitt, 2012
- Is Your Time, Ryuichi Sakamoto and Shiro Takatani, 2017
- The Year Earth Changed, Tom Beard, 2021
Reason for abandonment: At first I wanted to build an ecological environment indoors, like the From Here to Ear piece, to listen to the sounds of nature without human activity. But I couldn’t find a suitable ecological environment to move indoors until I came across Voice Covereth All Voices (2021). This theme could actually be an outdoor installation. In a busy street, you walk past a tree and you can hear birdsong coming from the tree. Now that city life is back to normal, you can still hear birdsong over the traffic and people.
Tech Specs:
- speakers: placed in a tree, make protective measures (e.g. waterproofing)
- Record some pieces of bird song
- Sound controller: buried under the ground, feeling gravity (someone stepping on the tile) triggers the sound (birdsong) to play
Reference installation: Voice Covereth All Voices, Nu Li, 2021