Hurricane bells
I just posted this moving radio programme to ClimateCultures’ Views from Elsewhere, but there’s more to explore in artist Peter Shenai’s hurricane bells and stories of Hurricane Katrina. Cast in shapes reflecting Katrina’s evolving wind speed, they bring dissonant and consonant voices that turn data into art: nature, recast by human climate disruption, in turn, reshapes human artefacts: nature-cultures powerfully entwined.
The programme also brings voices of the hurricane’s survivors:
“I was deeply touched you’re still thinking about us, thirteen years on … Not to be forgotten is an important thing.”
“Would the bells be another way of warning? As you recover, you want to know what happened. And this maybe analyses it rather well. So I’m anxious to see what’s going to be done with these bells.”
“We are still living our Katrina stories, and this is a form of storytelling, memorialising. Without storytellers, we are lost.”
“We’re in a better place right now. You remember all the pain, but you also remember the joy. And therefore the melody of the bell will be resounding, I believe.”
“I think they’re incredibly thoughtful … And I appreciate him doing that for Katrina. But he’ll have plenty more to do in the future!”