Dusk Chorus, based on “Fragments of Extinction”

Nika Åaravanja & Alessandro d’ Emilia, 2016, Italy, 62min.

The act of listening can reveal more than just the sounds around you. Dusk Chorus portrays the work of David Monacchi, a sound artist, researcher, and eco-acoustic composer who has been developing the multidisciplinary project Fragments of Extinction for nearly 15 years. Through David’s eyes and ears we become immersed in the unique soundscapes of the primary forests of Yasunì, Ecuador, a haven for the world’s highest biodiversity, and learn about the region’s struggle for preservation.

Climate change, extreme drought, run-ins with petroleum industry workers, and challenges using advanced recording technologies in the wild are just some of the hurdles David must face in order to achieve his goal: recording a pure and continuous 24-hour, 3-D soundscape that will preserve this acoustic heritage for future generations. This documentary offers a unique opportunity to listen to the primitive eco-symphonies, rarely heard by humans, of the disappearing sonic heritage of millions of years of evolution.

A conversation between co-director Alessandro d’Emilia and featured sound artist David Monacchi will follow the screening.

Presented as part of the opening night of the tenth Imagine Science Film Festival, addressing the theme of “Hybrid.”

About the Speakers

David Monacchi is an eco-acoustic composer, researcher, and multidisciplinary artist. He has been developing the project Fragments of Extinction for 15 years, conducting field research in the world’s remaining areas of undisturbed primary equatorial forest. The recipient of multiple awards throughout Europe and North America, Monacchi is pioneering a new science dissemination and compositional approach based on 3D soundscape recordings of ecosystems to foster discourse on the biodiversity crisis through educational and sound-art installations. Currently a professor of electro-acoustics at the Conservatorio “G. Rossini” of Pesaro in Italy, he has also received a Fulbright fellowship at the University of California, Berkeley and taught at the University of Macerata in Italy.

Alessandro d’Emilia was born in Rome in 1988. Life took him to the Dolomites, where he developed a passion for skiing and climbing and a fascination with the mysteries of nature. He is currently studying at the Zelig school for documentary.