Fermynwoods Podcast 16 - Maya Livio

Fermynwoods Podcast 16 - Maya Livio

Author: Fermynwoods Contemporary Art July 23, 2022 Duration: 55:03

This episode of the Fermynwoods Contemporary Art Podcast features Salvaging Birds, an original sonic essay by Maya Livio and JP Merz, followed by a discussion with Maya Livio.

Through the use of what Maya calls expanded nonfiction, she constructs a haunting and lyrical sonic essay containing a chorus of both human and non-human voices. The work draws attention to the biases and misclassifications within avian conservation datasets.

Here she has set a research-driven essay against sounds generated by an AI which was trained on specific datasets, particularly ones from the Cornell Library of Ornithology’s Macaulay Library – the world’s largest and oldest scientific archive of wildlife recordings. By using machine learning to speculatively queer birdsong datasets, the work complicates datafied approaches to conserving what and who is left of our world.

More at: https://fermynwoods.org/fermynwoods-podcast-16-maya-livio/

Thumbnail image: Salvaging Birds, generative image by Cassie McQuater, 2022


Tucked away in the rural landscapes of Northamptonshire, an arts charity quietly cultivates some of the most intriguing conversations and sonic experiments you can hear. The Fermynwoods Contemporary Art Podcast extends that work directly into your headphones, transforming the medium itself into a gallery without walls. This isn't about recording traditional talks; it's an active, experimental space where contemporary art is both displayed and created specifically for audio. You might find yourself immersed in a newly commissioned piece of sound art one week, then dropped into an intimate discussion between artists the next, followed by a thoughtful audio essay that challenges how we perceive public space. By focusing on accessibility, this podcast ensures that innovative art isn't confined to a physical location, but lives and breathes from people's homes. Each episode is a curated experience, reflecting Fermynwoods' core mission of supporting life through art by commissioning meaningful engagements. It’s for anyone curious about the processes behind visual art and the potential of sound to frame new ideas. Listen and discover how a charity's remote commissions can resonate so personally, turning a private listen into a public encounter with the forefront of artistic practice.
Author: Language: en-gb Episodes: 33

Fermynwoods Contemporary Art Podcast
Podcast Episodes
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