The Alby Critters

Various devices for producing sound (solenoids, relays, vibrators, pumps, coils);Various resonator boxes made of wood, plastic, electronics (microcontrollers, network devices), batteries.

A flock of wind-up birds first appeared in Lillehammer, Norway, in 2008 as part of the UT-21 project. The birds have since been seen in parks and forests across Europe.

For MOMENTUM 13, these mechanical birds are joined by a series of other sound-producing critters exploring the Alby forest. The sounds they make are produced through mechanical motion such as striking on a slit drum, or vibrations, rotations and clicks produced by mechanical switches. This method of sound production contrasts with a loudspeaker, an electro-acoustic shapeshifter that can produce any sound based on the signal fed into it. The artificial ecosystem of The Alby Critters, by contrast, mimics nature, prompting reflections on our relationship with the environment.

The Alby Critters expand into their surroundings, generating focal points of intensity in nature and fostering a heightened awareness of our relation to nature. They function as experimental interventions, infusing digital and material elements into an intricate interplay of living and non-living entities. The Alby Critters invoke a liminal zone where the digital, organic, living, and non-living converge, inviting a horizontal reorientation that heightens our awareness of the forest as an intertwined realm of echoes and transformations.