The why of it all.....
On 07/06/24 I head to Chicago and from there down to Springfield where I
will spend a week listening and recording the extraordinary double
brood emergence of the XIX and XIII periodic cicada. In addition to
listening and recording, I am delighted to be offering a sound
walk/talk/performance @Illinois State University on the 11th (https://events.illinoisstate.edu/event/cicada-listening-event-with-composer-dr-karen-power/ )
and participating in a performance with the wonderful David Rothenberg
on the 13th and meeting lots of cicada enthusiasts along the way. (More
details to follow on these and other planned events.)
In
preparation for my trip, I thought I would begin building a blog, which I
plan to update while I'm on location in Illinois next week. Let me
start by sharing some background thoughts, musings + reflections about
these magnificent insects and what has attracted my 👂 👂...
The
sounds of insects have always fascinated me, that such power comes from
something so small and conventionally 'unbeautiful'... (whatever that
means!) I find the array of sounds, whether they emanate from voice
boxes or from other parts of the body luscious and hypnotic. I have been
all over the world listening and recording above and beneath various
surfaces and am delighted to still be surprised by the array and
diversity of insects, bugs and all things small and noisy! In this
respect, this trip is a lifelong goal and will actually only occur once
in my lifetime. Just think, the next of these double emergence events
will be in 2245!!!
Let me link you to a stereo version of my
latest 8 channel sound installation piece featuring many of these
insects as soloists!!!:
https://karenpower.ie/listen.html#Installation
Now back to these little beauties....🐞 👇
(Might I suggest looking at https://cicadasafari.org/ if you need to first know more about periodic cicadas before reading on?)
The periodic cicada is truly extraordinary and elevates me to a
whole other level of amazement and wonderment. Here is an insect who has
successfully evolved by making him/herself unsustainable as a food
source!!!! We can't even wait 20 minutes in a restaurant without
complaining about the slow service. Now imagine any animal or bird being
willing to wait 17 or 13 years for a feed!!
These
creatures spend their whole lives under the ground and only emerge when
it's time to mate and die. I am particularly attracted to any life that
points towards other ways of living and being in this shared world. We
can be so sure of our single version of what it is to be alive that we
never even consider that this is just one of many ways of being in the
world. These creatures open up an alternative life-cycle that raises
questions and perhaps, just even for a moment, encourages us to consider
the way we live and interact within this world. We inhabit a world in
transition and crisis that is screaming for change. To create change, of
the kind that is needed, we must change the way we see, hear and belong
within it and transform our ways of thinking and behaving, which have
landed us in the ginormous mess we are in. The periodic cicada's extreme
life-cycle points to 'other' forms of existence and hopefully gets us
thinking. I for one am excited by the possibilities of even being aware
of such an existence, and that's before I have experienced their mating
calls/songs!
Any of you reading this familiar with my other work,
will also understand the cicada connection with my ongoing interest in
unearthing hidden sounds and my use of creative field recording to focus
on life beneath the surface, which is often forgotten about, but which
we impact upon just as much as the life that we see and interact with
daily. I kind of think of the cicada emergence as 'sonic payback' for
all of the crap that we pump into our earth, which the cicadas live
with! They rise, appear to cause a ruckus with their shouting, calling +
sex, just before the end of their lives. They temporarily take over
small parts of our world and we, for once, have to exist around them!!!
Revenge is a dish best served LOUD!
Pauline
Oliveros is largely responsible for encouraging this particular cicada
dream. Upon hearing the Cicada Dream Band where she, David Rothenberg
and Timothy Hill go out and perform with an emergence, my struggle with
what music can be was forever elevated. 🙏 PO and all.
Ever
since, I have been determined to place my 👂👂 in the middle of one of
these emergences and temporarily relieve myself of being human. I
realise this might be a really corny thing to write, but it is part of
why I am going. I want to be in a place where I can listen to these
calls without trying to 'put myself or my agenda onto them' or try to
make them into anything. This is a part of my listening and recording
practice that has taken the longest to develop, but its development is
vital to my main aim: to let spaces speak and let each environment be
heard and recognised for its unique sonic qualities. Anyway, I veer
slightly off-blog-topic, but is useful information if you are
considering following this blog in the days to come, as a guiding ethos.
I am hopeful for an array of luscious and delicious sounds, some of
which I will share, and will be working hard to locate them, but perhaps
the cicadas will finish early or for some other reason will simply not
sound! I should really have been out there this week, but due to
commitments will fly on Friday and hope they will continue to call,
mate, give birth and eventually shoo their next generation back
underground to continue their extra ordinary life cycle.
You'll have to return on 08/06/2024 to find out what I find......