65 days in Pirongia

Abstract or Summary

As Covid-19 gripped New Zealand in March 2020, field recordist Kent Macpherson began documenting his surroundings. Making field recordings in his back yard for 65 consecutive days. From Lockdown level 3 through 4 then back again to level one, these recordings document the sounds of a rural village in the Waikato region of the north island. It is interesting to note the slow fade of the cicadas as the days become colder in May. Then the native New Zealand bird, the Tui begins its courtship song. The absence of human din means the fauna are allowed a certain freedom. The native wildlife begins to communicate with a clarity not known in its generation. Then as the quarantine lifts, the modulating white noise of motor vehicles once again cuts through that freedom.