Croakorus #1: Lament in Memory of the Northern Pool Frog

Amphibians are disappearing before our very eyes. Only a few days ago, the extraordinary Northern Darwin’s Frog has been declared extinct. A beautiful frog sculpture and memorial ceremony was created by Persephone Pearl and friends at Whitehawk Community Food Project in Brighton on Saturday 30th November as part of International Remembrance Day for Lost Species.

I took part in the event together with the Lucky Frog. We told the story of the disappearance of the Northern Pool Frog, and how the Frog Merchant lost a species and a letter, and thus became the Fog Merchant – Purveyor of Fine Fogs, Marvellous Mists & Thin Air.

We gathered a human frog chorus around the fire and sang Croakorus #1: Lament in Memory of the Northern Pool Frog. Later that night, another frog chorus came together further along the coast in Saltdean and joined us for a second performance.

I preserved the Croakorus sound recordings in a jar of remembrance, ready to be added to a new amphibian sound & performance installation coming up in 2014.