Robert Jarvis' sound installation for an 'orchestra' of bats and accompanying 'choir' of bat detectors will be performed at the Wolfslaar nature reserve, outside Breda (The Netherlands) on Saturday 16th June as part of this year's "Interference Festival". The fun begins after sunset, as dusk falls and the bats come out to feed. As they fly around and make use of their biosonar radar capabilities in search of insects, Robert's installation picks up their signals and extrapolates the musical information contained therein to control a musical score. The result is an evocative surround sound musical experience as night falls, deepening each listener's relationship with the environment and creating a magical and memorable experience for all.
Some public responses:
"I couldn't believe that I was listening to real bats - what a variety of noises, and to see them in real time was an absolute knockout. The whole thing was fantastic."
"I was enchanted by the bat chatter... what a genius idea, and so beautiful."
"This is the kind of music that makes people think and transforms their experience of bats, of humans, of sound, of communication. This kind of transformative experience is the whole reason for art."
http://www.idfx.nl/nl/agenda/echolocation Discussion(Eyewitness reports, descriptions, discussion):