SONGS OF LOVE AND HATE – Duncan Butt Juvonen

“What if birds don’t sing, but scream?”
– Aldous Harding

“Everyone wants to understand art. Why not try to understand birdsong?”
– Pablo Picasso

For a long time, humans have been fascinated by the idea of communicating with animals. On the surface, the video works in this exhibition seem simple—just birdsong. However, the content is far more complex, as in reality, human singing has been altered to sound like birdsong.

The original birdsong is slowed down to a frequency audible to humans. A human then mimics the slowed-down song, adding words to it. The human voice is then sped up and pitched higher to resemble the original birdsong. Subtitles reveal the meaning of the songs. The complex human discourse on migration is bluntly imposed onto birds; through this act, the dialogue in the video is reshaped as an avian conversation. The audience seemingly understands birdsong, but unexpectedly, the birds’ concerns turn out to be deeply human. We see birds anew—they are no longer homogeneous creatures without morals. Their song is reinterpreted, dividing them into opposing sides: racists vs. victims and human rights defenders. When human arguments about migration are forced upon birds, they become absurd, tragic, and comical.

The videos are placed on the “branches” of a “bush” and a “tree” constructed from recycled furniture. Trees—homes to many birds—are cut down and repurposed as functional parts of our homes, making the birds’ loss a gain for humans. Home is often the place where we are most human, where we withdraw from nature and surround ourselves with our possessions. In this work, wooden furniture is redesigned and repurposed; the legs and railings of chairs rise from dressers like branches, turning the furniture back into homes for birds.

The homely nature of the furniture alludes to the different, and possibly toxic, attitudes that lie beneath the seemingly peaceful domestic setting. The work gives voice to opinions that are usually concealed to maintain social harmony. Birdsong may sound pleasant and harmonious on the surface, but the subtitles reveal contradictions and discrimination, turning the choir into anything but harmonious.

Birds are not born knowing how to sing; they must learn their song, just as humans must learn linguistic expression. Young birds mimic the songs they hear. Some of the most talented songbirds can imitate various sounds from their environment, such as car alarms and mobile phones. Some birds can even mimic human speech—but in this work, it is the human who imitates birdsong. As a result, birdsong ceases to be a pleasant concept, and the songs become too human.

Translated with ChatGPT