Cicada Chorus, 2021

In May and June 2021, Brood X of 17-year cicadas emerged throughout Indiana. Inspired by the buzzing, whirring, and chirping of cicadas and other insects during the late spring and summer, I collaborated with community members in Muncie, Indiana to listen to and observe insect noises in the area and develop a performance as a choral insect cacophony. The chorus celebrates the particularities of the region’s ecosystem and provides an opportunity for collective close-looking and listening as entry-points to playfully, yet earnestly inhabit a non-human sensibility.

The project included a series of free workshops including a cicada science session led by the Ball State Environmental Education Center and a vocal workshop with John Vessels of the Ball State University Theatre and Dance Department. The final audio work incorporates sounds recorded from community members at an open studio recording session during June’s First Thursday Arts Walk and students at Muncie Community School’s Camp Adventure.

This project was made possible by PlySpace and the Muncie Arts and Culture Council.