From Noise Pollution to Natural Melody

Bridget Bi

Long-term exposure to anthropogenic noise impacts the well-being of both the bird communities and humans. Located near traffic-intensive Hallelujah Point of Stanley Park, my project presents a biodiverse playground encircled by native berry shrubs. These plants act as the green intervention, filtering noise and inviting diverse users to a more comfortable and co-existing space. Community events of berry picking and jam making take place while urban and migratory birds shelter in shrubs and communicate through rhythmic singing. Their melodies resonate in the echo chambers under the mounted ground, which mimics the abstract form of bird nests and provides an unlearning space to change perspectives as birds and think about human decentralization. I also reference the mounded ground to the topographical lines of other areas in Stanley Park, reminding that the care for bird communities should happen anywhere. As an exclusive summer event, digital responsive sensors are installed at the edge of a three-way intersection. The devices detect the noise frequency level and turn into sound waves visualized on digital screens under colour-coded lighting to warn avian health. Screens mirror the shadows of the participators, displaying how noise processes bodies and relinking the experiences with bird sensations beyond imagination.