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The Pteropoetics of Birdstrike (2020)

Jacob Smith
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“The Pteropoetics of Birdstrike” is a work of multimedia scholarship consisting of a curatorial essay and a twenty-five minute audio piece. Working at the intersection of Sound Studies, Environmental Humanities, and Mobility Studies, the project examines the phenomenon of birdstrike: when birds collide with aircraft. The physical and radiophonic spaces of the airport create a contact zone of human and avian aeromobilities, with birdstrikes as vivid dramas of that shared space. I consider the implications of birdstrike through a critical essay that curates an audio composition that works through the selection and juxtaposition of found sound material. That material consists of recordings of air traffic control conversions during birdstrike incidents, recorded interviews with a pioneer in the field of forensic ornithology, and several poetry recitations. The recitations include the iconic “aerial image” of a skylark’s flight-song, paired with recordings of the actual bird. The result of the whole is to redirect a tradition of aerial imagination towards a new “pteropoetics” that understands the sky as a habitat shared with others.
typeresearch exposition
keywordssound, mobility, infrastructure, birds, aviation, environmental humanities, radio art
date04/05/2020
published03/09/2020
last modified03/09/2020
statuspublished
share statuspublic
copyrightJacob Smith
licenseCC BY-NC-ND
languageEnglish
urlhttps://www.researchcatalogue.net/view/873703/873704
published inJournal of Sonic Studies
portal issue20. Issue 20


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935563 The Pteropoetics of Birdstrike Jacob Smith CC BY-NC
979693 JSS Banner JSS All rights reserved
979713 JSS20_Smith image Smith All rights reserved

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