NOTICE 4-24-2024 - The Streambox is temporarily offline due to construction in the nearby building. Once complete (hopefully within two weeks), the streambox will return online.
Rob Mackay installs the Streambox at the Historic Voelcker Homestead
The Phil Hardberger Park Conservancy is proud to announce the installation of a streambox broadcasting the serene sounds of the Historic Voelcker Homestead, situated near the Butterfly Learning Center within Phil Hardberger Park.
The streambox was installed as part of the 'Following the Flight of the Monarchs' project. It is the third installation of open microphones meticulously placed by renowned artist and acoustic ecologist, Rob Mackay. Tune in to hear the morning bird song, or at night to listen to the crickets chime or possibly an owl hooting.
This groundbreaking interdisciplinary acoustic ecology project aims to trace the migration routes of Monarch butterflies as they embark on their awe-inspiring 3,000-mile journey between Mexico and Canada twice annually.
This streambox is one of three installed by Rob Mackay for the project 'Following the Flight of the Monarchs,’ the first in the United States!
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Following the Flight of the Monarchs
‘Following the Flight of the Monarchs’ is an interdisciplinary acoustic ecology project bringing together artists and scientists, connecting with ecosystems and communities along the migration routes of Monarch butterflies as they travel the 3,000-mile journey between Mexico and Canada twice a year.
Streamboxes are installed along the monarch butterfly migration routes between Canada and Mexico. The streamboxes livestream the soundscapes of these different ecosystems 24/7 via the Locus Sonus Soundmap (http://locusonus.org/soundmap).
The first box was installed in the Cerro Pelón UNESCO Monarch butterfly reserve in Mexico in 2018, followed by one at Point Pelee National Park in Canada in 2019 and, in 2024, at Phil Hardberger Park in San Antonio, Texas.
The streams are being used for ecosystem monitoring and integrating into artworks that raise awareness of the issues the monarchs face; they have declined by nearly 90% over the past two decades.
Soundcamp
Soundcamp is an arts cooperative based at Stave Hill Ecological Park in Rotherhithe, a district of South London, England. Soundcamp works on transmission ecologies from DIY broadcasting devices to public sound and radio projects. As part of the Acoustic Commons network, we coordinate the long-form radio broadcast Reveil (2014—), and a series of sound and ecology events (soundcamps) on Dawn Chorus Day each year.