Soulstorm: Caucus & Memorial
at Watershed Art & Ecology, August 24 – September 28, 2024
" ... the birds who would always be there ...
the
birds having left and come back, the birds who were never
not
there"
— Nathaniel Mackey
Installed in Chicago during the 2024 Democratic National Convention and the ongoing assault on Palestine, and created specifically for the Watershed space, Soulstorm is a 4-channel audio installation composed of bird songs recorded in Santa Cruz in the spring of 2024, and in Ireland in 2015. The installation at Watershed also included a series of mirrors channeling sunlight from the building's light well into the otherwise darkened space.
Phil Peters, artist and audio installation specialist, designed the system for presenting this installation, and spent many hours helping with the edits.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Farid ud-Din Attar, The Conference of Birds
John Bevis, aaaaw to zzzzzd: The Words of Birds
Jean-Claude Carriere & Peter Brook, The Conference of Birds (stage version)
Christian Cooper, Better Living Through Birding
Avery Gordon, Ghostly Matters
Luce lrigaray, The Forgetting of Air in Martin Heidegger
Clarice Lispector, Soulstorm
Nathaniel Mackey, Birds Anonymous
Nicholas Mirzoeff, "The Whiteness of Birds"
Fred Moten and Stefano Harney, All Incomplete
Jasbir Puar, The Right to Maim
Gershom Scholem, Kabbalah
David Allen Sibley, Sibley Birds West
Ed Yong, An Immense World
www.birdsofgaza.com/
PERFORMERS
Songs recorded in Santa Cruz, California, in mixed woodlands, and in the
Burren, Ireland, in thick bushes. I was not able to identify most of the
performers, but here are the names of some, with transcriptions adapted from
Sibley Birds West.
Song Sparrow "A variable series of trills and clear notes, slightly husky with
pleasant gentle rhythm; begins with several short, sharp notes, usually one
long trill in middle of song. Call a very distinctive, husky jimp. Flight call a high,
thin, level seeet."
Acorn Woodpecker "Raucous laughing; a nasal RACK-up RACK-up ... Also
nasal, vibrant, trilled ddddrri-drr or high, burry ddrreeerr; nasal, rising quay."
Wilson's Warbler "A rapid series of 10 - 15 short, sharp, whistled notes chchchchchchchch
with chattery quality; last few notes usually lower and faster."
Northern Mockingbird "Sings incessantly day and night. Song of varied
phrases in regimented series; each phrase repeated two to six times, then an
obvious switch to a different series; most phrases musical; many an imitation
of other species."
Black Phoebe "Two high, thin, whistled phrases, usually alternated sitsee
sitsew sitsee sitsew, also high thin whistled tseew."
Common Raven "Low, deep baritone croaks to high bell-like and twanging
notes. Long hoarse kraaah; lower, hollow brrronk; and deep resonant prruk."
Mourning Dove "A mournful hooting ooAAH cooo coo coo."
American Robin "A series of low, whistled phrases, in slow steady tempo, with
liquid quality. Call varies from a low, mellow pup or a sharp, clucking piik to a
sharper, rapid, urgent series. Flight call a very high, trilled, descending srreel."
Chestnut-backed Chickadee "An accelerating series of chips ... Typical call
high, buzzy notes with lower nasal, husky notes: tsiditsidi-tsidi-cheer-cheer."
Brown Creeper "A cascading series of very high, thin notes; usually ends on a
high note seee sitsweeda sowit-see."
Lesser Gold Finch "Slow, hoarse, disjointed; Call a distinctive high, clear, wiry
tleeee or teeeeyEE. Flight call a hoarse, grating chig chig chig."
Bewick's Wren "A complex series of rising buzzes, clear notes, and musical
trills (e.g., zrink zrink oozeeee delzeedle-eedle-ooh tsetetetetete)."
House Finch "A varied warble; begins with husky whistled notes; steady
tempo with distinct downward trend. Call a soft mellow fi//p."
Warbling Vireo "A rapid, run-on warble viderveedeeviderveedeeviderVEET
without pause and with distinctive, husky quality."
Dark-eyed Junco "A short trill, slow and musical; call a high, hard, smacking
stip; also high, tinkling chips when flushed taititit tit. Also a clear keew."
Spotted Towhee "Zero to eight identical introductory notes followed by a
harsh or buzzy, rapid trill che che che che zheeee."
Wrentit "Clear, popping whistles pwip pwip pwip pwip pwip or pwid pwid
pwidwidrdrdrdrdr. Call a dry, ratcheting trrrk.
Black-headed Grosbeak "A slow, whistled warble, slightly husky, without
gurgling notes; pace steady, slow. Call a high, sharp pik more wooden (than)
squeaky."
Western Wood Peewee "A burry nasal whistle DREE-yurr or breerrr or
brreeee with distinctive rough quality. Also a thin clear peeedidip or pee-ee or
peeaa.
California Towhee "An accelerating series of high flat teek notes: teek teekteek
eek eekeekeekeek t-t-t-t keek. Call a high, hard, flat teek."
Canada Goose "A loud, resonant and musical honk h-ronk and h-lenk; flock
chorus gentle, slow-paced, mellow; other soft, grunting calls."
Band-tailed Pigeon "A deep, somewhat hoarse, repeated owl-like hooting hu
whoo hu whoo ... "
Pine Siskin "A rapid run-on jumble of fairly low, husky notes; call a rough,
rising buzz zhreeeeee. Flight call a high, sharp kdeew and a dull bid bid."
Olive-sided Flycatcher "A sharp, penetrating whistle whip WEEDEEER. Call a
low, hard pep pep pep."
Swainson's Thrush "Fluting, smooth, rolling, and rising. Call a low, liquid quip;
also rough, nasal, braying qui-brrrrr. Also a clear, emphatic heep or queev."
Steller's Jay "A harsh, unmusical descending shaaaaar; also a rapid, popping
shek shek shek shek. Also a clear whistled whidoo."
California Quail "A repeated nasal put way doo, final note longer and descending.
Other calls clucking and sputtering."
Red-shouldered Hawk "A high, clear, squealing keeyuur keeyuur ... repeated
steadily."
In addition to the above, and to Phil, thank you also to: Debbie Gould, Wendy Jacob, Dima Mabsout, Lee Chang Ming, Tristan Duke, JM Gaston, James Hicken, Luke Palmer (for his tripod), Andy and Onnie Palmer, the existence of the Feminist Bird Club, Mandy and Lara Sirdah, Matthias Regan, Kathryn Schaffer, Claire Pentecost and Brian Holmes for the invitation to do something in their beautiful, resonant, and already storied space.