I Once Heard a Bird Sing responds to the impact of human intervention on the endemic Helmeted Honeyeater—Victoria's State Bird emblem. This species is nearing extinction, with only 240 birds surviving in small remnant patches of streamside swamp forests in the Yellingbo Nature Conservation Area, a narrow corridor of 5.9km in length.
The installation offers an evocative, immersive experience of the endangered Helmeted Honeyeater and its fragile habitat. Through a blend of 3D animation and field recordings, Cornish creates a digital representation of the bird, shifting it from the brink of extinction into a symbolic realm. This digital rendering, housed in a contemporary Wunderkammer, echoes the specimen collections of natural history museums while preserving the Helmeted Honeyeater and its soundscape as a digital memory. In this space, the bird is freed from the environmental threats that have endangered its species—its habitat degradation and predators replaced by the sanctuary of a digital world. I Once Heard a Bird Sing transcends the physical limitations of reality, inviting viewers to connect deeply with the Helmeted Honeyeater while reflecting on the blurred boundaries between conservation, technology, and the survival of species in a changing world.
I Once Heard a Bird Sing: 2023
Installation view. Blackwood, Messmate and Fiddle Back Mountain Ash Wunderkammer, dimensions: 200 tall x 79 wide x 55cm deep. Two channel 3D Helmeted Honeyeater animation with stereo sound. Duration 65 minute loop.
I Once Heard a Bird Sing, was supported by Creative Victoria through the Creators Fund
Installation view detail, Burrinja Cultural Centre, 2023. Photo Christian Capurro.
Cabinet fabrication: Kristian King
3D realisation: Jack Cornish
The installation offers an evocative, immersive experience of the endangered Helmeted Honeyeater and its fragile habitat. Through a blend of 3D animation and field recordings, Cornish creates a digital representation of the bird, shifting it from the brink of extinction into a symbolic realm. This digital rendering, housed in a contemporary Wunderkammer, echoes the specimen collections of natural history museums while preserving the Helmeted Honeyeater and its soundscape as a digital memory. In this space, the bird is freed from the environmental threats that have endangered its species—its habitat degradation and predators replaced by the sanctuary of a digital world. I Once Heard a Bird Sing transcends the physical limitations of reality, inviting viewers to connect deeply with the Helmeted Honeyeater while reflecting on the blurred boundaries between conservation, technology, and the survival of species in a changing world.
I Once Heard a Bird Sing: 2023
Installation view. Blackwood, Messmate and Fiddle Back Mountain Ash Wunderkammer, dimensions: 200 tall x 79 wide x 55cm deep. Two channel 3D Helmeted Honeyeater animation with stereo sound. Duration 65 minute loop.
I Once Heard a Bird Sing, was supported by Creative Victoria through the Creators Fund
Installation view detail, Burrinja Cultural Centre, 2023. Photo Christian Capurro.
Cabinet fabrication: Kristian King
3D realisation: Jack Cornish
