Is That A Woodpecker Or A Wind Up Bird?
Some birders aren't gonna like this.
An artist in Norway called HC Gilje, has a 3 year research fellowship at the National Academy of the Arts in Bergen. The big question: How can audiovisual tools be used to transform, create, expand, amplify and interpret physical spaces? Well, here's one way that the artist is trying out--using little electronic mechanisms to create woodpecker drumming sounds in the woods called "wind-up birds." This flock of mechanical woodpeckers, have been put in a forest in Lillehammer, Norway as part of the UT-21 project.
In the blog, the artist wonders, "How will nature treat them, with hostility or acceptance?" and is intrigued that the sounds fool humans. I would imagine that here in the US, they would be treated with hostility as angry birders would claim the art would drive woodpeckers out of their territories or stress them out or just plain confuse them...or be angry into thinking a flock of rare woodpeckers had moved in only to find out they were punked by an art project. Speaking of rare woodpeckers, I wonder if this project couldn't be modified to do that double knock the ivory-billed woodpecker is supposed to make? A bunch could be placed in Arkansas or Florida to try and call out the woodpecker that cannot be photographed in to the open.
Here's a video of of the wind-up birds:
wind-up bird(s) from hc gilje on Vimeo.
An artist in Norway called HC Gilje, has a 3 year research fellowship at the National Academy of the Arts in Bergen. The big question: How can audiovisual tools be used to transform, create, expand, amplify and interpret physical spaces? Well, here's one way that the artist is trying out--using little electronic mechanisms to create woodpecker drumming sounds in the woods called "wind-up birds." This flock of mechanical woodpeckers, have been put in a forest in Lillehammer, Norway as part of the UT-21 project.
In the blog, the artist wonders, "How will nature treat them, with hostility or acceptance?" and is intrigued that the sounds fool humans. I would imagine that here in the US, they would be treated with hostility as angry birders would claim the art would drive woodpeckers out of their territories or stress them out or just plain confuse them...or be angry into thinking a flock of rare woodpeckers had moved in only to find out they were punked by an art project. Speaking of rare woodpeckers, I wonder if this project couldn't be modified to do that double knock the ivory-billed woodpecker is supposed to make? A bunch could be placed in Arkansas or Florida to try and call out the woodpecker that cannot be photographed in to the open.
Here's a video of of the wind-up birds:
wind-up bird(s) from hc gilje on Vimeo.
posted by birdchick at 3:08 PM
3 Comments:
How annoying! I can't imagine it would fool a birder into thinking there were real woodpeckers, as the sounds are quite artificial sounding, at least to my ears. However, it would bug the H - E - double toothpicks out of me if I were to encounter this "art." I go to the woods to escape sounds of mechanization, not be assaulted by it.
Put me down for one "No!" vote for Wind-up Birds.
~Kathi, in a huff
The demo in the studio with them all going crazy is a little annoying but the into clip of the call and response is quite interesting if not soothing. I love the sound of woodpeckers calling back and forth. I think the intersections between communication and music is fascinating and there are some cultures who's musical traditions are more closely aligned with natural sounds. Tuvan throat singers for example integrate bird songs and even the sound of babbling brooks, etc in their overtone singing which is wonderful and bizarre. I think projects that can help open our ears to the ideas of non-human conversations is a good thing. I wouldn't want it out in the wilderness per se but it would be really cool somewhere like the sculpture garden.
I can see the potential value in sussing out ivory bills.
Other than that, this is one of those things where my first reaction is: Ye gods, what a dumb idea. Someone actually sat around and thought of that? Someone is spending money on that? Ugh
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