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Sounds of research visualised

15 July 2024
Two people in a rainforest holding yellow recording devices
PHOTO CREDIT: Sonia Leber and David Chesworth, Shapes of Listening, 2024, 2-channel 4K video, 5.1 audio. Video still with Wahtjah Johnson and Rana Elmesseri. Courtesy of the artists. This project has been supported by Creative Victoria and Creative Australia

By Isis Symes

The sounds of bats will be heard at Dancenorth when Gurambilbarra / Townsville’s PUNQ Festival, Townsville’s Umbrella Studio and the Australian Festival of Chamber Music co-present Shapes of Listening.

The sensorial video and sound installation by Naarm / Melbourne-based artists Sonia Leber and David Chesworth will feature the work of CQUniversity microbat researcher Professor Simon Robson.

Prof Robson uses remote sensing of Anabat recorders to capture the sounds of microbats that are otherwise inaudible to human ears - and those recordings will be brought to life as part of the installation.

“Microbats are everywhere in Townsville, mostly unseen in dark crevices, and flying out under the cover of dark,” Prof Robson explained.  

“My research analyses the bats’ calls, allowing me to identify species from their sonic patterns,” he said.

“With these sounds I can also identify different types of echolocation, social calls and microbat behaviours.”

Shapes of Listening will be held at Dancenorth and will run from July 27 to August 11 from 9.30am - 4.30pm each day. Entry is free.