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All Australia Sydney 'Forgotten Songs' Sound Sculpture

'Forgotten Songs' Sound Sculpture

A collaboration of art and ornithology mourns the calls of Sydney's lost birds.

Sydney, Australia

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Jennifer
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Installation by artist Michael Thomas Hill and research scientist Dr. Richard Major.   Whiteghost.ink
The collection of 50 songbird calls that were once heard in central Sydney, now forced out by urbanization.   Mertie
Birdcages overhead, and bird calls that change from day to evening.   Newtown grafitti
Along the street pavement, where the songs come from below.   Newtown grafitti
Angel Place, Sydney, originally part of the Laneways: By George! Hidden Networks.   chrisjtse
SEP 2022   KPie / Atlas Obscura User
An pleasant surprise on my way to The Ivy!… Forgotten Songs February 2019   Kara Davis / Atlas Obscura User
Angel Place in downtown Sydney is now the permanent home of the installation.   Jon Haynes Photography
Panoramic View   wildwomenwander / Atlas Obscura User
  Collector of Experiences / Atlas Obscura User
  Collector of Experiences / Atlas Obscura User
  Collector of Experiences / Atlas Obscura User
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Suspended above Angel Place, a pedestrian lane that runs between George and Pitt Streets in Sydney, there are scores of cages. In combination with the delicate visuals above, sound artwork rises from below in a wave of calls of long-vanished birds.

"Forgotten Songs" is a collaboration of art and ornithology, to remember the calls of 50 birds that once thrived in Sydney, that have either been pushed to the city fringes or drowned out altogether in the wake of accelerated development. 

Originally part of a collection of installations called “Laneways By George! Hidden Networks,” it started as a temporary exhibit, part of an initiative to remind the urbanites of  of some neglected sounds and spaces of a more human scale.

The recordings are from species that all once chirped in central Sydney, and they change along with the time of day to match their natural habits. So morning birds sing in the morning, and nocturnal birds call out at night.

The original installation proved so popular, funds were provided by the city to make it permanent, as a lovely, mournful way to remember a long-vanished part of Sydney life.

Related Tags

Art Sounds Birds Installations Animals

Know Before You Go

You can get to Forgotten Songs either from George or Pitt Streets, and it is a great way to get in the mood for a visit to the nearby Angel Place Recital Hall. Worth going in the day or the evening, as the bird calls change depending on the time of day.

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JenPenguin

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Leah Kid Bucket List, Collector of Experiences, KPie, Kara Davis...

  • Leah Kid Bucket List
  • Collector of Experiences
  • KPie
  • Kara Davis
  • wildwomenwander

Published

May 23, 2017

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Sources
  • http://www.cityartsydney.com.au/artwork/forgotten-songs/
  • http://architectureau.com/articles/laneways-by-george-hidden-networks/
  • https://kidbucketlist.com.au/2016/03/18/forgotten-songs-bird-cages-angel-place/
'Forgotten Songs' Sound Sculpture
Angel Place
Sydney
Australia
-33.867191, 151.207821
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