Singing the World: A Dawn Chorus

Singing the World A Dawn Chorus – Mike Collier with music by Bennett Hogg, in the Long Gallery.

This exhibition was initially inspired by listening to a dawn chorus in a Northumberland woodland garden—a choir of sixteen birds heard early one morning in mid May.

Collaborating also with sound recordist Geoff Sample and print maker Alex Charrington, the bird’s songs are represented variously as digitally manipulated sonograms and musical transcriptions, forming the basis of this show of vibrant and detailed graphic prints, music and paintings. The exhibition includes an animation of Mike and Bennett’s work: Chorus Lines by Merrie Snell.

Mike Collier is an artist, writer, curator and professor of Visual Art at The University of Sunderland. His research focuses on art, walking and a phenomenological examination of the environment. His contribution to knowledge around art, walking and the environment creates a bridge between culture and the sciences.

Bennett Hogg is a composer, sound artist, improviser and academic writer based in the North East of England. Since 2003 he has taught composition, sound art, and musicology at Newcastle University.

There will be a free Artists’ talk about art, birds and walking, on 21st July in the Gallery at 7pm, introduced by local bird watcher, Dan Lupton.