Aves Elektron: Death of the Nightingale

At first glance this book appears to be a somewhat random collection of black and white photographs of, mostly, dead birds, litter, and housing developments. But as one delves deeper, it becomes apparent that this is not simply a bird book. Or at least, not a bird book by normal standards.

With Aves Elektron: Death of the Nightingale, author / creator MiE Fielding sets out to “outline the sorry tale of the UK’s catastrophic loss of biodiversity and particularly its bird life over the past forty years and offer an explanation as to why this has happened.” And it is certainly a product which not only invites, but demands, your unwavering attention. The book itself is merely a component of the experience.

An accompanying CD (remember those?) is to be listened to, according to Fielding, via headphones for maximum impact, as one is immersed fully in the created soundscape while leafing through the hardback volume. With cues to turn the pages at specific times, the listener is taken through the creator’s journey exactly as he intended.

Combining his own sound recordings of birdsong with an electronic sound composition, Fielding tells a story of greed and exploitation of the natural world.

MiE Fielding is primarily an avant-garde musician and artist, with a lifelong passion for birds. Here in Aves Elektron: Death of the Nightingale he combines these interests to explore his concerns about UK biodiversity and the associated loss of bird life.

I expect there will be a limited audience for such a product, and it isn’t the sort of thing one will dip in and out of on a regular basis, but Aves Elektron: Death of the Nightingale does beg to be taken notice of, for all the right reasons.

Book reviewed by Jon Carter