Drawing on the Invisible
2025
Salt drawings
Drawing on the Invisible features sound waves of bird calls from extinct species across the world. Using salt as her medium, Reena Saini Kallat captures the sonic form of the cryptic tree hunter, poo-uli, dusky seaside sparrow, and others lost to habitat destruction, overhunting, climate change, and pollution. These voices, now impossible to hear, can be experienced visually through the work. Among the sounds represented is the haunting call of the Kauaʻi ʻōʻō, a bird native to the Hawaiian island, Kauaʻi. Its story encapsulates the devastating consequences of extinction. In 1987, the last surviving male was recorded singing its mating song, a beautiful but futile attempt to connect in a world where no females of the species remained. This solitary call, resonating into emptiness, became a symbol of isolation and loss, marking the irreversible end of its lineage. Set outdoors in close proximity to trees and the calls of living birds, the work situates the memory of extinct species within the vibrancy of life. The contrast of silence—captured by the abstract waves—and live sound urges us to remember what is gone while cherishing what remains. Salt, both a preserver and a symbol of ephemerality, serves as a poignant metaphor for memorialisation and transience. It conserves the essence of the extinct birds, yet, as it disperses with time, wind and the movement of people onsite, it represents the fleeting nature of life. This series extends Kallat’s exploration of loss, memory, and erasure, seen in works like Saline Notations. By transforming the songs of extinct birds into physical yet fragile forms, the artist underscores the urgency of preserving life’s interconnected web while honouring the delicate impermanence of all beings.
