The work was open for online viewing between December 20 – January 6.
“MAGPIE” (00:03:34) by Ian GIbbins, Australia, 2022
The Australian Magpie (Gymnorhina tibicen) has extraordinary vocal ability, trilling and carolling a wide range of calls, often together, and often at night. It not related to the European or North American Magpies.
The audio for this piece was developed around a recording I made of a magpie singing at night behind our house. I transcribed two of the melodies and then worked out how to play and arrange them. The chorus includes the actual voice of the magpie. The audio during the credits is an unedited sample of three magpies carolling on a still winter’s night.
The video is animated from footage of magpies around our house, in Belair National Park, and on the Victorian coast during a storm; local trees at night; and the word “magpie”.
The text in the video contains samples from the following sources:
“Australian Magpie: Biology and Behaviour of an Unusual Songbird” by Gisela Kaplan, 2004, CSIRO Press
“Australian Bird Names: Origins and Meanings” by Ian Fraser & Jeannie Gray, 2nd ed, 2019, CSIRO Publishing
“A Field Guide to the Birds of Australia” by Graham Pizzey, 1980, Harper Collins.
Director Bio
Ian Gibbins is a widely published poet, video artist and electronic musician with four collections of poetry, all in collaboration with artists. His video and audio work has featured in gallery exhibitions, public art commissions, performances and international festivals. He previously was a neuroscientist and professor of anatomy.
Director, Audio recordings / composition / performance: Ian GIbbins
Pebbles Underground is focused on showcasing and promoting experimental, avant-garde, underground, and no-to-low budget projects by artist-humans from all over the world. Absurd, uncanny, witty, humorous, slow-video – all are welcomed, and loved.
Pebbles Underground is an independent project not funded by any government or corporation, and we intend to keep it that way. Main source of funding is personal donations from humans organizing the project, who are artists themselves, and the main drive of the project is formed by the energy and involvement of the organizers, and the public.
