John Grzinich (1970) is an audiovisual artist based in Estonia. In his work, he combines sound, performance, moving images, and site-specific installations to explore the perception of sound and space and to seek resonances between people and places. Recently, he has focused on re-evaluating the anthropocentric perspective through performative and media works in which he combines earthly (natural) forces, expanded modes of listening, and participation.

Audioswarm: Insectus is an original sound composition inspired by and based on field recordings of insects. It also functions as a participatory soundwalk – a performative format of spatial sound diffusion that combines shared listening and interaction with the surrounding space to create a unified sonic body of all those present. Every participant in the event becomes both a listener and a performer. All you need is a smartphone with a browser.

The performance is an invitation to listen to one another and to the environment around us. It shapes the audience into a swarm, drawing closer to insects and other animals that cluster into flocks or herds. The collective realization of the performance opens up several key questions: What does it mean for humans to pay tribute to the oldest sound-producing beings on Earth? By what means can we embody the sonic and social nature of insects? What role do we, as humans, play in the deep-time fabric of complex earthly ecologies?

2025

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