Die Buchfinken - A co-habitation with Chaffinches is a fictional encounter between local Chaffinch birds and an artist-in-residence. This sound installation brings together recorded sounds from Tyrol, the bird songs of Chaffinches and the sounds created by the activity of the artist within the barn, all compiled and presented in the space. 

 

This sound installation stages a fictional co-habitation by the birds and the artist. The sounds of the artist preparing the space can be heard simultaneously with the vocalisations of the chaffinches. The soundtrack creates a temporary dwelling. The artist-in-residence inhabits the space like a migratory bird, his actions briefly performing a series of sounds before moving to another place. 

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Chaffinches are common all around Europe. In colder regions such as Tyrol they tend to migrate further south during the colder winter period. They are known as chaffinches because they are often seen picking through the chaff left out by the farmers after the harvest season. As they are very common, their bird songs are widely recognised. Like many bird vocalisations, they are often associated with images of idyllic nature. However, like many bird vocalisations, the bird song of the chaffinch are in fact quite territorial. They are proxies for a kind of demarcation of space. 

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This site-specific work was created as a part of the GRUND1535 residency program in Tyrol, Austria.

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