Live Canaries This sound composition connects with the visual part in a metaphorically as opposed to illustrative way. The sounds created embody the main acoustic, perceptive and emotional characteristics of a "mountain´s crackling and tumbling rocks" and of "fragile, flying birds". Low frequency sounds were used for the mountain´s construction and high frequency sounds for the "fluttering birds" part of the installation. The aim was to open up a new dimension for metaphorical association and poetry. "Since Ferguson believes installations are a form of theater, she collaborated with both a composer and video artist to intensify the experience. Mario Verandi composed the music, and his ethereal computer generated sounds enhanced the installation with the percussive sounds of cascading rocks punctuated by the gentle fluttering and chirping of the canaries. In the adjoining gallery, a five minute film by George Ferguson (no relation) provided the visual narrative. Black rocks buried a white mannequin, which several gentle canaries gradually liberated. When unearthed, the androgynous figure emerged as golden as the beneficent birds, an archaic smile revealed in the final close-up of its Buddha-like face." Extract from an article about Catherine Ferguson´s installation Live Canaries. Written by Kim Carpenter for the NYArts Magazine, New York. More information and sounds: http://www.catherineferguson.com/installation/canaries.html