The Rise of “Fell to Fern,” a New Sonic Installation by Kiku Hibino in Lincoln Park

Kiku Hibino at his opening on June 19, 2022 - Robert W. Karr, Jr.

On Sunday, June 19, Japanese-born sound artist Kiku Hibino opened his most recent installation Fell to Fern at the Lincoln Park Conservatory, which can be experienced in the Fern Room through September 25.

When Hibino was commissioned for this project, the first thing that came to his mind was a childhood memory at his grandfather’s home in Nagoya, Japan.  One afternoon, he and his grandfather discovered a young bird that fell from a tree onto the delicate fern and moss below. After caring for the bird for some time, the bird became strong enough to be on its way.

Hibino found inspiration in that memory and the geometric patterns of ferns, which he translated into musical patterns and melody structure. “My intention for Fell to Fern was to create a sonic environment that enhances the fern room. As I composed, I naturally began to think more about plants than visitors, especially in the beginning of the production. I tried not to think about the visitor, because they’ll be coming here to enjoy the plants, not the music.”

During the recording, Hibino tried to imagine himself as the ferns and moss. “They say plants are smarter than people, so they must hear sounds in very different ways than us,” explains Hibino. “The sound of rain or drizzle for example, contains wider frequencies than most music. I assumed fern and moss love those types of sounds, so I tried to think of the body of my work as frequencies and vibrations, rather than the progression of musical notes.”

As he progressed through the recordings, his childhood memories became stronger. “It was as if the fern and moss in Chicago were trying to reconnect two separate times and places, my grandfather’s old Japanese garden, and the fern room in Chicago. I tried to capture the bright and warm transients in those memories that are seemingly meaningful. Along the way, I guess I started to think about people or families who would come to the fern room. I imagined that they share the same values as my grandfather who loved plants. All the thoughts were combined by the time I finished the piece.”

Hibino believes that he has learned a lot from this production, including the importance of honesty with oneself.  Through such honesty applied during the creative process, he believes that authentic memories can open new doors that shed new light on one’s current state. Hibino recalls from his study of Dostoevsky that “going back to old memories is not always fun, but some will keep you safe throughout your life. And, even if only one such memory stays in our heart, it may prove to be our salvation one day.”

Kiku Hibino and friends at his opening on June 19, 2022 - Robert W. Karr, Jr.

Experience Fell to Fern in the Fern Room at that Lincoln Park Conservatory through September 25, 2022. Hibino will perform live at MCA on July 9th at 2pm. He is premiering a sonic interpretation of Greg Bae’s visual artwork “Ex_Radio” with Steven Hess and Haruhi.

More about Kiku Hibino

Japanese-born sound artist Kiku Hibino produces electronic music that focuses on unusual rhythmic structure and melodies that are inspired by optical illusion and moiré patterns.

From chamber music for media productions to digital micro sound for art installations, he has collaborated internationally with a wide variety of artists and scholars, including Yuge Zhou, Mitsu Salmon, Kawaguchi Takao (Dumb Type), Theaster Gates, Mike Weis (Zelienople) and Norma Field.

His work has been shown Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts, Experimental Sound Studio, Chicago Cultural Center, Three Walls, Compound Yellow, Elastic Arts, Hairpin Arts Center, Hyde Park Art Center, Utah Museum of Contemporary Art, among others.  He’s a 2017 Individual Artist Grant recipient from Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs, 2021 Outer Ear Artist in Residency at Experimental Sound Studio, and 2021 nominee for Best Asian Entertainer at Chicago Music Awards. Kikù lives and works in Chicago.

The publication, The Wire (U.K.) once described his music as  "trying to cram in as many memories as possible before it all disappears" and that the music "concerns itself with themes of capturing and preserving fleeting moments" (2007, issue 279).

He studied electronic music composition at Keio University Shonan Fujisawa Campus with Toru Iwatake, Atau Tanaka, and Christopher Penrose, and at University of California at Santa Barbara with Curtis Roads and Karen Tanaka, and holds M.A. in media art and technology.

In 2021, Kikù and his creative partner Gregory Bae launched S/N, an electronic music concert series.