Sing the carbon cycle, share breath, and experience how ecological interactions are models for human care
Inspired by the teachings of the more-than-human world and informed by ecosystem carbon flux research – the “inhalation” and “exhalation” of carbon dioxide, sound artist Sara Bouchard bridges scientific concepts with themes of ritual and imagination. She offers a new connection to the landscape, one experienced through the ears, that aims to awaken enviromental awareness and strengthen communities.
En Masse is a composition for choir and percussion which navigates the threads of interconnection among individuals, communities and ecosystems, promo-ting a culture of care amidst the climate crisis. In dialogue with nature and Dr. Christopher Gough at Virginia Commonwealth University, Bouchard incorporated field recordings, crowd-sourced text and data into the score.
Beginning and ending with the eddies and swirls of the wind as the foundation for carbon flux measurements, En Masse‘s five movements follow the carbon cycle through the elements of air, wood, soil, fire and breath. The piece depicts in turn the voices of migratory songbirds (Air), carbon-absorbing trees (Wood), symbiotic underground networks of mycorrhizal fungi (Soil) and, finally, humans (Fire and Breath).
Fire amplifies the real-life anxieties of individuals imagining the future of our planet, while a wavering, siren-like melody represents the increase of carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere, encoded in 16 years of data. Breath pushes beyond fear, weaving us together in a shared song and suggesting a path forward: “Let’s be a forest.”
Can we reimagine our care systems as complex ecological networks, which shift and pulse in space and time? Can we hold faith that simple, individual interactions can ripple across a community and, en masse, bloom into meaningful change?
Watch video of full performance here or read Madeline Reinsel’s VCU News article with video excerpts from each of the five movements.
