We're isolated at home and it's boring but I have a challenge for you. This weekend, turn off Netflix and connect with nature by tuning in to International Dawn Chorus Day.
A project by Reveil; a global arts project and international web broadcast, Dawn Chorus Day will relay the sounds of live microphones tracking sunrise in multiple locations across the planet in real-time.
Held on the first weekend of May, a network of points across the world will broadcast its acoustic ecology, following the wave of intensified tunes that loops the earth every 24 hours at first light.
Starting just before daybreak in Rotherhithe near the Greenwich Meridian in the UK, the Reveil broadcast will pick up these feeds one by one whilst tracking the sunrise from microphone to microphone.
Local sound artist Dr Leah Barclay says the annual event is set to encourage people to listen and engage with the sonic environment, particularly important now due to the world's current pandemic.
“With most of the world in lockdown, the broadcast this year will likely reveal some incredible soundscapes in parts of the planet we would never usually hear,”
“While social distancing and isolation are essential, that doesn't mean we have to be disconnected from each other and the environment.” says Barclay.
The stream will be broadcast live to 17 radio stations and will be accessible online for listeners across the planet, providing a way to connect with nature and reveal the changing sonic environments across our planet during a time of disconnection.
As a 24-hour soundscape, there will be a mix of producers in Europe, North America, and the Asia-Pacific, all working together to produce the chorus.
The Asia-Pacific hub will be based in the Sunshine Coast as it is known for its biodiverse habitat, housing almost half of Australia's greatest symphonies.
Local Soundstreams will be located in the rainforest canopy at Mary Cairncross, Maroochy River, Eudlo Creek, and the Noosa Biosphere Reserve.
Acting as a global hub for a growing network of ecological sound artists, scientists, geographers, activists, technologists, DIY broadcasters and researchers, Reveil has brought together practitioners in the fields of ecological and transmission arts, as well as terrestrial and marine ecoacoustics over the past five years.
“Reveil is an opportunity to really propel virtual technologies for a collective global listening experience that will provide a way to connect with nature and reveal the changing sonic environments across our planet,” says Barclay.
The extended radio event will bring together sounds from open windows, rooftops, forests, underwater and electromagnetic sites that can be accessed straight from the comfort of one's bed.
You can live stream the event from the Reveil site on the 2nd of May.
Tag with #Reveil2020 on all social platforms so we can see where you are listening from.
