The disruptive sound of the jet engine rips through the sky, drowning out nature’s chorus as it welcomes the dawn. As the streets come to life and the buzz of traffic and sirens swallows our audio landscape, the singing is pushed into the background and we march on, busy in our own lives and lost in our thoughts. Emerging from the gaps between the constant stream of noise created by our metal machines is the enriching sound of birdsong. In the canopy of trees, the hedgerows and rooftops are a diverse species calling out to one another, living together, trying to survive in a world that is dominated by us.
They fill the spaces between the machines.
The instinctive cries of our feathered friends acts as a reminder that life’s struggles extend beyond our own and if we are truly to survive, we must do it together. The beauty of birdsong is that it isn’t immediately apparent where the source of the sound is coming from, but it surrounds us everyday and is a reminder that we are part of the natural world. The sound creates a picture of abstract communication that transcended its form. The calls from the trees, shrubs and rooftops are the same as our tweets and social rants. I am here, hear me. There’s danger, there’s food. Look at the sunset, isn’t it beautiful.
PROJECT : AVIARY - Audio Visual Art Installation
A self-initiated project I started in2017, as a way of re-connecting with nature. I recorded a few birds one morning from my garden and decided to visualise them using Trapcode Particular and Sound Keys. Impressed with the initial results, I developed the idea more using expressions in After Effects to give the audio recordings more character and a sense of form. Before long I had created a created a series of bird recording and my digital Aviary was born.
Overlapping these birdsong recordings, I made various video loops of different durations which would be projected onto canvas, creating a digital AV art installation. I was lucky enough to be invited to Geneva, Switzerland to exhibit this as part of a wider digital art exhibition at Bord de L'eau (2018).
Also exhibited at Peckham Levels, London (2019) and Durrell Zoo, Jersey (2020).
PROJECT : AVIARY - Data Visualisation Competition WINNER
During lockdown, I spent some time in Jersey looking after my mother who was recovering from surgery. I continued to make field recordings of various birds which were more indigenous to the Channel Islands. This coincided with a data visualisation competition run by Digital Jersey.
Field recordings were made of various birds which were more indigenous to the Channel Islands. During the recording process, a timestamp was created at each location. From this timestamp a 3D representation of that moment was created. This included a polar clock which showed the day, month, hour, minute and second of this recording.
This video was displayed at Jersey's famous Durrell Zoo and the digital audio-video installation was also shown during their open evenings in late 2020.