New exhibit from sound art facility in South River captures sounds of spring in Almaguin Highlands

Almaguin residents are a key component to the latest event created by New Adventures in Sound Art (NAISA) in South River.

NAISA is out with this year’s edition of Springscapes it calls the Community Soundscape Exhibition which uses sounds common to the region to show how the Almaguin Highlands make the annual transition from winter to spring.

NAISA’s Artistic Director Darren Copeland says sounds in nature change from season to season and the current exhibit encourages people to record sounds in their area.

Copeland says the sound recordings of springtime in the Highlands are brought back to NAISA where they are played back in surround sound using an eight speaker system. He says the sound recordings are updated each week.

Area residents who want to be part of the soundscape project can send an email to naisa@naisa.ca or drop by the facility at 313 Highway 124 in South River to learn how to get involved.

NAISA will provide participants with recording kits to be used to capture nature’s sounds on their respective properties.

In a recent demonstration Copeland fit a recorder in a bird feeder hanging on a tree to record sounds around the feeder. The feeder isn’t meant to attract birds. Rather it serves to protect the recorder from wind and rain plus it allows the recording unit to remain suspended from the ground which makes it easier to capture sounds.

Area resident Merv Mulligan recently borrowed one of the recorders and during the process learned quite a bit of the various sounds around him.

Mulligan noticed that in listening to what he recorded, there “are a lot of sounds that we take for granted every day”.

Mulligan said when walking into a forest, it might sound silent at first but in reality there are many sounds among those trees once you concentrate your listening. As Mulligan walked through an area forest, he heard the sounds of ruffed grouse, a hammering woodpecker, falling raindrops and the rustle of leaves.

Mulligan said among his favourite sounds were robins chirping early in the morning and after a rainfall he could hear other birds. Mulligan adds then there is the sound of the wind as it breezes through tall pine trees and in his case, also the sound of Sandhill Cranes. Mulligan says these are all comforting sounds and a sign that summer is also near.

The Community Soundscape Exhibition is available for participation until June 12th.

Rocco Frangione is a Local Journalism Initiative reporter who works out of the North Bay Nugget. The Local Journalism Initiative is funded by the Government of Canada.