Sonic Ecoverlaps
An aural convergence bridging affective dimensions of place; introduction to a new project
In Perth (Western Australia), there is a species of tree that has given me pause whenever I have encountered it—its fine, needly leaves quivering together in the wind create a very distinct hushing sound, which for me is a becalming shhhhhhhhh, a quiet assertion that there is no need to fret and that all will be well. This resonantly soothing tree, the Australian Pine (not actually a pine), sp. Casuarina equisetifolia is commonly called “she-oak” (not actually an oak), beach / coast casuarina or, whispering casuarina.1 The word equisetifolia refers to its horsehair-like foliage that sweeps downward, and resembles the jointed stems of horsetail reeds.2 Though it is native to Australia, its sound has always struck me as unusual in the cacophonous landscape of Perth, where cockatoos, lorikeets, kookaburras, and other raucous birds noisily compete for air space and habitat.3
Or, perhaps it sounded unusual because the first place my Northern ears encountered its unmistakable hush was on Maui. Casuarina equisetifolia is one of several Australian plant species that have become naturalized (and invasive) on the Hawaiian islands. Beginning with this lens on the Australian Pine, I’m undertaking a new project while situated on Maui for the next two months, as part of the ecoartspace Australian Dialogues. This project will be part of a 2025 travelling group exhibition that begins in Western Australia at Southern Forest Arts, and travels to other locations across the continent.
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