Kathy Hinde

Presented in partnership with Attenborough Centre for the Creative Arts

Chirp & Drift is a flock of illuminated instruments that chatter in morse code; it combines elements of birdsong, language and music. Gentle tones and harmonies are produced by accordion reeds hidden within each ‘bird’. As wing-like bellows move, air is pressed through the reeds, reminding us of the delicate and fragile state of the environment, and of our own health. Translations of the musical morse code are projected close to the flock and offer a playful probe into interspecies communication, and whether birds sing purely to enjoy making music. 

“Birds often adapt their songs in noisy environments in order to be heard – as the communication bandwidth for birds and other species narrows. I pondered on the many information networks we currently engage with and chose to play with the almost obsolete form of radio communication, morse code.”  Kathy Hinde

Chirp & Drift was originally commissioned by Lancaster Arts for Light Up Lancaster 2018 and has been supported by Sussex Humanities Lab (Experimental Ecologies) for this presentation.

Location:
Chirp & Drift is situated in a tree near the Attenborough Centre on the University of Sussex campus (outside the Education Development Building and Asa Briggs Lecture Theatres). The precise location is shown on the map below. 

Co-ordinates: 50°51’57.1″N 0°05’18.1″W