Train stations across the country are coming alive with the sounds of spring this morning.
On Chorus is a public art project by sound artist Christopher Steenson. The project will use Iarnród Éireann train station PA systems across Ireland to play the sound of birdsong from 08:00hrs to 09:00hrs until 29th November.
At the same time that birdsong will be heard in Iarnród Éireann train stations, birdsong will also play on the a website created especially for the project www.on-chorus.com each day between 8:00am and 9:00am, for people who are still self-isolating or unable to travel.
Currently, public transport is reserved for essential workers as part of Level 5 Covid-19 restrictions.
“Birdsong is something that is very dear to my heart,” said Niall Hatch, Head of Development and Communications with BirdWatch Ireland, “Throughout Covid-19 restrictions, it became even more important to me, as I know it did to people all across the country. Hearing the sound of the birds singing around my home, and especially the beauty of the dawn chorus, became a real source both of entertainment and of comfort to thousands of people, many of whom had never really paid it much heed before.
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Steenson’s On Chorus project is aimed at “providing the public with the opportunity to experience art at a time when most cultural institutions in Ireland remain closed. By collaborating with a national organisation like Iarnród Éireann, On Chorus demonstrates an innovative way that art can be presented publicly in the face of changing health restrictions, as a result of the current pandemic.”
www.on-chorus.com will provide information about the project, as well as presenting a series of 35mm photographs created by Christopher Steenson.
