Birdsong and the Dawn Chorus in Natural History and the Arts
This publication and project, curated by Mike Collier, explores how the arts can represent bird song in general and the dawn chorus in particular through ways that underline each chorus’ specific nature of space and place, whilst avoiding the trap of projecting human phenomena onto the more-than-human world.
Transcriptions of birdsong date back to antiquity and imitations of it feature in every culture’s music. However, ‘hearing music in birdsong’ can be little more than a projection of human codes and conventions on to the natural world, avoiding the radical unknowability of this more-than-human world.
The creative work by 29 writers, artists, musicians and poets presented in this multidisciplinary volume reconfigures ways in which the more-than-human is spatially experienced and understood. Such an approach is crucial as we seek alternative narratives to urgently address our current ecological crisis.
Published by Gaia Project in partnership with Art Editions North and Bath Spa University, price £25.00.