Jata C: Bibaret | album

The Jata C group for bioacoustics and sound ecologies has tuned into the world of small non-human animals—specifically invertebrates (such as insects, spiders, and bugs)—using their vocalisations to explore the social, scientific, and artistic perspectives on this crucial and vulnerable group of organisms.

Even today, insects are often portrayed in binary oppositions: useful vs. harmful, cute vs. repulsive, diligent vs. lazy. These dichotomies reveal our attitudes towards invertebrates. Scientific research warns us that these animals are indispensable to our ecosystem, and we should be deeply concerned about their rapid decline. Some data indicates that their population has already decreased by 75 percent. More than half of plant and animal species are currently endangered, with insects faring the worst, which is particularly alarming. Their decline could trigger a domino effect, potentially leading to the collapse of entire ecosystems.

In the composition Bibaret, Jata C transcends the limited social and economic perceptions of insects to emphasise their significance within individual ecosystems while also looking beyond strictly scientific frameworks. The performance humorously juxtaposes scientific knowledge with environmental facts, confronting them with absurd social biases. The artists listen to creatures that undergo complete metamorphosis and cohabitate with other species in complex interdependencies. They utilise auditory cognition to introduce artistic insights in the form of speculative thought and creativity, promoting our close coexistence with bugs and other arthropods.

Jata C invited Tomi Trilar, Ph.D., an established expert on invertebrates and bioacoustics, who is the Head of the Department of Invertebrate Zoology responsible for managing the National Collection of Animal Sounds at the Slovenian Museum of Natural History, to join their collaboration. The biologist provided sounds of select insects from the extensive collection and collaborated with the artists during the conceptual phase of their work. Bibaret incorporates bioacoustic sounds recorded in the field by the artists and utilises the Slovenian National Collection of Animal Sounds, represented by Tomi Trilar, Ph.D.

Members: beepblip, OR poiesis, Boštjan Perovšek, Bojana Šaljić Podešva, Brane Zorman

Released: 21 January 2020

Artists: beepblip, OR poiesis, Boštjan Perovšek, Bojana Šaljič Podešva and Brane Zorman
Curated by: Irena Pivka and Brane Zorman
Cover design: Ida Hirsenfelder
Illustration: Vesna Bukovec
Photo: Miha Godec
Translation and editing: Urban Belina
Production: Cona, Institute for Contemporary Arts Processing, 2019
Exhibition venue: Steklenik, Gallery for Sound, Bioacustics and Art
Partner: The Slovenian Museum of Natural History – Slovenian Wildlife Sound Archive (Tomi Trilar, Ph.D.)