Catalogue de grenouilles — installation

A multi-channel installation proposal derived from (but distinct from) my 1987 concert work Catalogue de grenouilles. This was proposed to a Portuguese museum in 2025 but in the end was not taken forward by them. If you are considering mounting the installation, please email me with brief details (venue type, room size, number of loudspeakers, preferred loop duration, and any access requirements). I’ll send the full asset bundle appropriate to your situation.

Overview

A gallery becomes a field guide that has come alive: frogs call from different points in the space, texts appear as projections, and visitors navigate by attention rather than by a fixed timeline. The piece can be experienced casually (as an atmospheric soundscape) or closely (as a linked sequence of encounters that connect frog voices, human language, and the theme of origins).

The work is inspired by Jean-Pierre Brisset’s philological theory that humans evolved from frogs. In a collection of extraordinary writings, he “proved” his theory through incredible networks of puns in (mostly) French, constructed from phonemic utterances derived from frog calls. The installation runs in cycles of 15 minutes, but never repeats exactly, so is theoretically endless. The sounds combine solo frog calls played on visitors' phones, frog duets and choruses, and background ambience. These are combined with musical instruments (bass clarinet, tuba, string trio, percussion groups and piano) which blur the distinction between human and frog. At the same time, texts by Jean-Pierre Brisset are displayed in French, phonetic alphabet and translations in English and any other language. The texts slowly morph into one another, showing how the puns emerge as linguistic corollaries of physical evolution.

Visitor experience

Upon entering, visitors will discover a low-level “chorus” that establishes place. This will comprise ambient frog choruses with some duets. Intermingled with this will be beautiful musical sounds, bound together with a slowly evolving piano. Visitors may wish to engage with the installation by using the QR codes provided to play solo or “diva” frogs on their phones at will. Alternatively, they may also engage with the evolving sequences of words that are projected on screens around the space. They may decide to stay for one complete cycle (maximum 15 minutes) or even longer, or they may prefer to leave sooner. Either way is perfectly fine.

Core components

The installation comprises the following components:

  • Audio: distributed frog-call layer with optional alternate mixes. This may occupy between 4 and 24 mono channels.
  • Music: this requires a minimum of 8 mono channels, some of which may be shared with the frog sounds.
  • Texts: short statements and longer passages, presented as projections on as many screens as may be available.
  • Visitor frogs: posters containing QR codes enable visitors to participate using their phones.
  • Vibrotactile (optional): sub-bass frog calls (mainly bullfrogs and large toads) may be delivered via vibrating floors or other devices.

Access & adaptation

The work is intended to be adaptable to different sensory preferences and access needs. In practice this usually means: clear legible text, seating, volume zoning (including a quieter area), and the option to experience the piece in fragments without losing the thread. Captions/printed text equivalents are part of the design logic rather than an afterthought.

Available on request (recommended)

  • Full-resolution multi-channel audio stems and alternate mixes (WAV)
  • Full video-text masters and the PPT source decks
  • Instrumental mock-ups and any performance materials not already public
  • Any third-party-licensed items where redistribution should be controlled

Credits

Frog sound sources are all fully credited and attributed. Additional crediting information can be provided with the full asset bundle.