Can sound make us extra desirous about nature?
For years, a large part of the discourse on climate change, biodiversity and the environment has been illustrated by harrowing images: bulldozer forests, barren landscapes, displaced population groups, destroyed habitats. It seems that the prevailing tactic has been to shock us into action, but as climate change and natural disaster statistics continue to tighten, this does not seem to have been enough to make the western world change its behavior.
Whether because of scare tactics, feelings of guilt, or simply being ineffective, such images have gradually been replaced by new forms of communication about the severity of society's impact on the environment. Organizations like Extinction Rebellion have put graphic design at the center of their campaigns as more and more visual artists portray the immense beauty of nature to underscore what we could lose.
One such artist is Dr. Alexandra Daisy Ginsberg, whose practice is to examine our relationship with technology and nature and how the two are closely intertwined. For the past several years she has been co-editor of the MIT Journal of Science and Design, worked on programs and assignments for the V&A and Design Museum, and resided at Somerset House. Last year she teamed up with the latter again to run her 24/7 provocative exhibition examining the origins and effects of the non-stop lifestyle in modern society.
Ginsberg's contribution to the exhibition was Machine Auguries, an audiovisual installation commissioned by Somerset House and A / D / O to show how human actions affect bird populations, which have declined over the past few decades.
Originally designed for the Somerset House Chapel, the piece invites visitors to experience the sound of early morning birds singing – known as the morning choir – surrounded by diffuse colors reminiscent of the soft morning light. The work is now at Fact in Liverpool as part of a new group show entitled "And Say The Animal Responded?" On display, which will showcase other audio installations including a "Choir of Whales and Dolphins" and "A Living Colony of Leaf Cutter Ants That Became Scratch DJs" ”.