Melusina Calls to the Loon

In 1999, while working on my graduate work in Chicago, I had the great fortune to be selected as an artist in residence at Isle Royale National Park. Upon arrival at the park, I was immediately fascinated by the novel sights and sounds all around me, so different from the soundscapes of Chicago. It was here that heard a white throated sparrow for the first time and was so transfixed that I spent the followings weeks trying to identify all the sounds that I was hearing. Each night walking from my cabin I would hear the calls of the loons, the chattering of squirrels, the chirping of frogs, bird songs and the motion of Lake Superior. On these walks, I would often make up stories about what I was hearing. One of these stories was about a conversation between a mermaid and a loon plaintively calling back and forth in the dark, each enchanted by the music of the other, trying to imitate each other’s song. From this conversation Melusina Calls to the Loon was created.