“Listening to Silent Spring” at Mikrofest
Mikrofest was a free mini festival to launch Kaleider’s new home. I took the opportunity to trial an installation of “Listening to Silent Spring” in a couple of bird boxes in the building.
Listening to Silent Spring
“Listening to Silent Spring” audio
“Listening to Silent Spring” is a piece of sound art, based on a listening walk around east Exeter on the 50th anniversary of publication of “Silent Spring” by Rachel Carson. The sounds I noted became the script for the piece. The work is mostly silence, which allows the listener to become aware of their own ambient soundtrack.
Autumn audit
In honour of Silent Spring, I spent two hours wandering around my neighbourhood and listening. Listening not just for birds, but for everything, including all those sounds we usually tune out.
Silent Spring
Today is the 50th anniversary of the publication of Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring. In its honour, I am spending a couple of hours walking around my neighbourhood listening for bird song. In the meantime, here are three short posts I wrote a year and a half ago, reflecting on the book.
“Listening to Silent Spring” (2018-19)
“Silent Spring” by Rachel Carson is among the most influential books that have been published. On its 50th anniversary in 2012, I honoured the work and its impact by taking an awareness walk around my neighbourhood, and listening. In response I made a piece of sound art.