Acoustic Forest is an interactive sculpture constructed from locally sourced Rhode Island wood. In the foreground, a diverse array of tree and bark pieces are hand-carved with etchings of downy woodpecker acoustic signals. Weaving behind and among the trees are paper feathers, evoking the classic downy woodpecker wing pattern. Together, the components represent many of the ways these charismatic woodpeckers communicate with each other, described in naturalist field notes beside the anchoring log. The audience is invited to join the chorus by picking up a drum stick and creating sound through their own exploration of the various surfaces!

"I came into the Vis-a-thon experience with a lot of ideas to visualize my research. The medium and scale of each project I discussed with the critics on day one ranged widely, but a common theme through them all was the ability for the audience to interact with the work. When Stephanie and I first met, we connected over the sense of wonder we feel out in nature. It quickly became clear that neither of us is the kind of person to shy away from a large scale project!"

—Nico

“When it came to the final review of the Vis-a-thon works, it struck me how often digital technology is used to communicate scientific ideas. Perhaps it is the data input that allows for new visual renderings; however, by keeping our work analog, we were able to simplify the data.”

—Stephanie