Music for Worms and Compost, 2004/2021
Compost, earthworms, plywood, hardware, and audio equipment

Arguably, observation happens through sound as much as any other medium, and maybe, especially, in the world’s many darkened spaces. Dickinson invites us to listen to the underground sounds of compost and its rich inner world. Worms, mites, and molds teem within the earth-in-the making ecology that compost represents. By way of sensitive subterranean microphones, Dickinson captures and mixes the sounds alive within his custom compost boxes, creating a kind of otherwise inaudible music that is both for and of the earthworms busily buried inside.

Courtesy of the artist.