HIdden songs
Hidden Songs is a free to access audio-visual installation for public space.
Using music and gathered sounds and playing with a concept we are describing as ‘human pollination’, we start a conversation about what happens when we forget that we are an intrinsic part of the natural world.
Hidden Songs comes alive as participants move between the sculptures, trigger the sensors and ‘pollinate’ the generative sound.
Filmed at Broad Meadow, Oxford in September 2021 by Michael Hayes.
What happens when we view ourselves ‘above’ the natural world due to our technological advancements? When we see ourselves as more important than all other species? How much ‘synthesising’ of the natural world can the planet take?
The otherworldly sculptures in this piece are reminiscent of plant and animal life and warn us of the dangers of complacency; asking us whether this is a reality we are prepared to accept.
Imagine a future where nothing is real apart from us. Perhaps it’s already begun.
““
It’s a really interesting blur between a human soundscape and a mechanical, anti-nature soundscape
”
Supported by Oxford Contemporary Music, ‘Hidden Songs’ is an invitation to interact with your surroundings and perhaps even those around you.
Image description: Close up of one of the sculptures, lit up inside with red, pink and green light. There are buildings, wooden seating and people sitting in the background.
Image description: A side view of two of the sculptures. The copper pipes and ‘flower heads’ are bright turquoise. There are plants, people and wooden seating in the background.
special thanks to
Jo Ross, Rachel Cappell, Tessa Cavanna and Lauren Spiceley from OCM
Steve Symons, Michael Hayes
and all at Oxford City Council
