american singers (e, g, b, d, f) (chorus)

Installation artist Ann Hamilton created this set of five inkjet monoprints by capturing still images of canaries previously recorded on video. The five letters in the title—e, g, b, d, and f—refer to the higher-pitch range of notes on the treble clef music staff, and signify the tonal range of the American Singer canary, specially bred for its free and melodious song. Hamilton further enhanced the images by depositing streaks of soot from two burning parafin candles she moved across the surfaces of the prints. The mysterious feather-like markings seem to echo the birds' fleetings movements.