The Dawn Chorus Phenology of the Arctic listens to the shifting rhythms of seasonal change in the far north. Through Early Ears, a travelling set of microphones that livestream the dawn chorus from acoustically rich environments, the project traces how the Arctic soundscape transforms from summer to spring. It invites audiences to tune in to phenology as a living form of communication across species and systems.
 

Installed in Abisko’s boreal mountain ecosystem in northern Sweden, Early Ears captures the sonic events of a year: from the last hikers on the Kungsleden trail and the rumble of ore trains, to winter silence, the return of the ptarmigan’s call, and the vibrant midsummer chorus of birds and insects. Listening becomes a way to experience how climate, ecology, and human activity intertwine.
 

The work forms part of Changing Perspectives - Assess Abisko Values (https://www.iii-c.info/ ), a collaboration between social sciences, natural sciences, and the arts exploring Nature’s Contributions to People (NCPs) through citizen science, participatory ethnography, and sound and visual arts.
 

Soundscape comments were based on questions from community surveys conducted by Sam Saville and Friederike Gehrmann supported the listening research hikes in Abisko. The installation was realized with the assistance of Yongmei Gong and Grant Smith (Soundtent, UK), maintained by Annika Kristoffersson (Abisko Scientific Research Station).

With support of Swedish Polar Research Secretariat (2019 - 2024)