Exposition

Future Earth Scream Now - The Solresol Birdsong Translator (2021)

Jim Lloyd
open exposition

About this exposition

In this exposition, we describe a ‘speculative fabulation’ on communication with birds. A device was built that ‘listens’ to birdsong and translates this into human speech utilising the obscure musical language Solresol (François Sudre, 1866). Birdsong is analysed and converted into musical notes (one octave in the scale of C Major: do-re-me-fa-sol-la-ti). These seven notes are grouped to form four-note ‘words’ that are looked-up in the Solresol-English dictionary. Each note also has a rainbow colour assigned to it. In a variety of configurations, the device can output the birdsong, notes, music, translated words, and colours. Text and MIDI (music) files can both be saved for further output or processing. The software can run in a variety of modes and on a variety of hardware, including PC and Raspberry Pi. It can make use of both live and recorded birdsong. The device and software are described, as well as several examples of its outputs, such as ‘auto-poetry’ and music. The presentation of the work and modes of engagement are described. The contextual significance is discussed in relation to claims about the practice as artistic research.
typeresearch exposition
keywordsBirdsong, language, artistic research, inter-species, translation, transdiciplinarity
date30/12/2021
published30/12/2021
last modified30/12/2021
statuspublished
share statusprivate
affiliationNewcastle University, School of Arts and Culture
copyrightJim Lloyd
licenseCC BY-NC-ND
languageBritish English
urlhttps://www.researchcatalogue.net/view/940166/948790
doihttps://doi.org/10.22501/jar.940166
published inJournal for Artistic Research
portal issue25. 25


Simple Media

id name copyright license
940190 blackbird2 Jim Lloyd CC BY-NC-ND
940497 solresol bird translator rPi Jim Lloyd CC BY-NC-ND
941091 reading solresol blackbird poem Jim Lloyd CC BY-NC-ND
941097 blackbird1 2_Page_1 Jim Lloyd CC BY-NC-ND
941098 blackbird1 2_Page_2 Jim Lloyd CC BY-NC-ND
941099 blackbird1 2_Page_3 Jim Lloyd CC BY-NC-ND
941104 thrush1 speed read text_Trim Jim Lloyd CC BY-NC-ND
941111 Jim-25-04-2019-10-55-08 using natural reader for text to voice 1_12 Jim Lloyd CC BY-NC-ND
941119 shawk2 Jim Lloyd CC BY-NC-ND
941593 BassRock-27 Jim Lloyd CC BY-NC-ND
941595 Capture sol dic 2 Jim Lloyd CC BY-NC-ND
941596 translator lite version Jim Lloyd CC BY-NC-ND
941597 example output translator Jim Lloyd CC BY-NC-ND
941598 shawk1 Jim Lloyd CC BY-NC-ND
941599 Capture sudre book front Jim Lloyd CC BY-NC-ND
941608 Jim-17-05-2019-19-02-58 int dawn chorus day with 4 sqs_Trim Jim Lloyd CC BY-NC-ND
941696 blackbird output full Jim Lloyd CC BY-NC-ND
941698 Robin at night Jim Lloyd CC BY-NC-ND
941700 Lite version demo Jim Lloyd CC BY-NC-ND
941721 Full Demo Jim Lloyd All rights reserved
941723 Human and bird skeletons Jim Lloyd CC BY-NC-ND
941726 Bird wood Jim Lloyd All rights reserved
941733 stormcock_in_rain_200223_003_01 Jim Lloyd All rights reserved
942280 me parabola Jim Lloyd CC BY-NC-ND
942296 block daigram of translator Jim Lloyd CC BY-NC-ND
942313 GOPR7239_Trim2_Trim Jim Lloyd CC BY-NC-ND
942318 Continuum bird translator instalation view Jim Lloyd CC BY-NC-ND
942782 what language to use_Trim Jim Lloyd CC BY-NC-ND
948808 Jim Lloyd Jim Lloyd CC BY-NC-ND
948809 Stormcock image Jim Lloyd CC BY-NC-ND
949456 Odin_hrafnar Public Domain Public domain
949462 solresol bird translator rPi Jim Lloyd CC BY-NC-ND
949467 solresol full1 Jim Lloyd CC BY-NC-ND
949469 lookup Jim Lloyd All rights reserved
949471 patch example Jim Lloyd CC BY-NC-ND
949473 example output translator Jim Lloyd CC BY-NC-ND
949475 screen shot kite version Jim Lloyd CC BY-NC-ND
949477 screen shot oi version Jim Lloyd CC BY-NC-ND
949479 vlcsnap-2020-07-03-21h39m12s707 Jim Lloyd All rights reserved
949481 Continuum bird translator instalation view Jim Lloyd CC BY-NC-ND
949483 Full Demo Jim Lloyd CC BY-NC-ND
949491 Blackbird1_Trim Jim Lloyd CC BY-NC-ND
949494 blackbird 2 Jim Lloyd CC BY-NC-ND
949504 Robin at night Jim Lloyd CC BY-NC-ND
949506 Lite version demo Jim Lloyd CC BY-NC-ND
949509 PI DEMO Jim Lloyd CC BY-NC-ND
949512 Jim-17-05-2019-19-02-58 int dawn chorus day with 4 sqs_Trim Jim Lloyd CC BY-NC-ND
949516 skylark a min_mixdown Jim Lloyd CC BY-NC-ND
949521 Matt and the birds Jim Lloyd All rights reserved
949525 song thrush midi Jim Lloyd CC BY-NC-ND
949528 Skylark midi muse demo Jim Lloyd CC BY-NC-ND
951087 Full document Jim Lloyd All rights reserved
951088 0045 Jim Lloyd All rights reserved
951089 0040 Jim Lloyd All rights reserved
951090 0030 Jim Lloyd All rights reserved
951091 Discussion1 Jim Lloyd All rights reserved
951092 0046 Jim Lloyd All rights reserved
951093 Introduction1 Jim Lloyd All rights reserved
951094 app tech 2 Jim Lloyd All rights reserved
951095 0043 Jim Lloyd All rights reserved
951096 0048 Jim Lloyd All rights reserved
951097 Outputs Jim Lloyd All rights reserved
951098 0037 Jim Lloyd All rights reserved
951100 0033 Jim Lloyd All rights reserved
951103 0029 Jim Lloyd All rights reserved
951104 Lang 2 Jim Lloyd All rights reserved
951105 Producing outputs Jim Lloyd All rights reserved
951106 0039 Jim Lloyd All rights reserved
951107 0035 Jim Lloyd All rights reserved
951108 Future Jim Lloyd All rights reserved
951109 App tech Jim Lloyd All rights reserved
951110 0036 Jim Lloyd All rights reserved
951111 Shamans Jim Lloyd All rights reserved
951112 0042 Jim Lloyd All rights reserved
951113 Colour Jim Lloyd All rights reserved
951114 0034 Jim Lloyd All rights reserved
951115 0050 Jim Lloyd All rights reserved
951116 software and hardware Jim Lloyd All rights reserved
951117 Presentation and engagment Jim Lloyd All rights reserved
951118 0031 Jim Lloyd All rights reserved
951119 Discussion reflection Jim Lloyd All rights reserved
951120 Introduction 2 Jim Lloyd All rights reserved
951121 Appendix title Jim Lloyd All rights reserved
951122 Use of device Jim Lloyd All rights reserved
951123 Claims Jim Lloyd All rights reserved
951124 Language Jim Lloyd All rights reserved
951125 0052 Jim Lloyd All rights reserved
951126 Poetry Jim Lloyd All rights reserved
951127 0047 Jim Lloyd All rights reserved
951128 Methods title Jim Lloyd All rights reserved
951130 Lie and Pi versions Jim Lloyd All rights reserved
951131 0032 Jim Lloyd All rights reserved
951132 End of discussion Jim Lloyd All rights reserved
951133 0049 Jim Lloyd All rights reserved
951134 0051 Jim Lloyd All rights reserved
951135 0044 Jim Lloyd All rights reserved
951136 0038 Jim Lloyd All rights reserved
951137 0041 Jim Lloyd All rights reserved
951139 Title Jim Lloyd All rights reserved
951204 kevin bird mask Kevin Buckley All rights reserved
951817 pentatonic_blackbird_just Jim Lloyd CC BY-NC-ND
951824 GOPR7239_Trim Jim Lloyd All rights reserved
951833 GOPR7239_Trim_noaudio Jim Lloyd CC BY-NC-ND
952205 St_Abbs_head_Kittiwakes_etc Jim Lloyd CC BY-NC-ND
952209 IMG_2670_st abbs head Jim Lloyd CC BY-NC-ND
952249 song thrush midi Jim Lloyd CC BY-NC-ND
952252 IMG_2558_dusk2 Jim Lloyd CC BY-NC-ND
952254 190512_002._dunnock_maybe_tel_JL_lateWAV Jim Lloyd CC BY-NC-ND
952943 800px-Turdus_philomelos_-_Western_Springs_Lakeside_Park J J Harrison All rights reserved
953868 Pouch,_southeastern_Ojibwa,_with_porcupine_quills,_from_Boston_Museum_Collection_-_Native_American_collection_-_Peabody_Museum,_Harvard_University_-_DSC05441 Public Domain Public domain
953871 CROP_Pouch,_southeastern_Ojibwa,_with_porcupine_quills,_from_Boston_Museum_Collection_-_Native_American_collection_-_Peabody_Museum,_Harvard_University_-_DSC05441 Public Domain Public domain
955259 IMG_4184 Jim Lloyd All rights reserved
955261 Annotation 2020-07-26 223300 Jim Lloyd CC BY-NC-ND
1265947 Jim Lloyd Jim Lloyd CC BY-NC-ND
1265948 0040 Jim Lloyd All rights reserved
1265949 0030 Jim Lloyd All rights reserved
1265950 0013 Jim Lloyd All rights reserved
1265951 0004 Jim Lloyd All rights reserved
1265952 0025 Jim Lloyd All rights reserved
1265953 0012 Jim Lloyd All rights reserved
1265954 Intro - context Jim Lloyd All rights reserved
1265955 0033 Jim Lloyd All rights reserved
1265956 0027 Jim Lloyd All rights reserved
1265957 0035 Jim Lloyd All rights reserved
1265958 0028 Jim Lloyd All rights reserved
1265959 0017 Jim Lloyd All rights reserved
1265960 0010 Jim Lloyd All rights reserved
1265961 0020 Jim Lloyd All rights reserved
1265962 0024 Jim Lloyd All rights reserved
1265963 0036 Jim Lloyd All rights reserved
1265964 0015 Jim Lloyd All rights reserved
1265965 0018 Jim Lloyd All rights reserved
1265966 0034 Jim Lloyd All rights reserved
1265967 0007 Jim Lloyd All rights reserved
1265968 0011 Jim Lloyd All rights reserved
1265969 0031 Jim Lloyd All rights reserved
1265970 0014 Jim Lloyd All rights reserved
1265971 0005 Jim Lloyd All rights reserved
1265972 0023 Jim Lloyd All rights reserved
1265973 0009 Jim Lloyd All rights reserved
1265974 0021 Jim Lloyd All rights reserved
1265975 0016 Jim Lloyd All rights reserved
1265976 0037 Jim Lloyd All rights reserved
1265977 0019 Jim Lloyd All rights reserved
1265978 0029 Jim Lloyd All rights reserved
1265979 0006 Jim Lloyd All rights reserved
1265980 0026 Jim Lloyd All rights reserved
1265981 0008 Jim Lloyd All rights reserved
1265982 0032 Jim Lloyd All rights reserved
1265983 0022 Jim Lloyd All rights reserved
1265984 0038 Jim Lloyd All rights reserved
1265985 0039 Jim Lloyd All rights reserved
1265986 0002 Jim Lloyd All rights reserved
1265987 0001 Jim Lloyd All rights reserved
1475904 me parabola edited Jim Lloyd All rights reserved
1475930 Robin at night cropped Jim Lloyd All rights reserved
1476846 Screen Shot 2021-12-24 at 11.08.54 nn All rights reserved

Comments are only available for registered users.