Bats`n`Insects

Bats ́n ́Insects is a site-specific, immersive installation for the glass façade of the ZKM Musikbalkon.

The echolocation of the bats, inaudible to humans, was processed by sound microscopy and turned audible. Through the vibrations of the glass, small sound transducers on the glass façade make the compositions audible. Then, they are moved widely over the glass façade, resulting in a special, spatial sound experience.

The glass becomes an artistic material and a substantial component of the room installation. The animal sounds that are used come from the scientific sound archive of bat researcher Dr. Annette Denzinger.

At the same time, the glass façade is a carrier of oversized, transparent silhouettes of bat species and insects whose shapes overlap with the sound transducers.

Thus, both come together: seeing and hearing.

The two artists' thematic exploration focuses on the current context of climate change and the Covid-19 pandemic. The bat is artistically discussed as a symbol of the threat to biodiversity in nature as well as the interdependence and spatial restriction of our world: the world of animals and the world of humans whose encroaching on their natural habitats ultimately threaten the space for both.

From the artists' series of works: Acoustic drawings in space

Material: Glass, foil, metal, sound transducer, cable, playback equipment