Fragment 21: The Birds and The Beasts

Another entry in Toney Merritt's Fragment series, The Birds and The Beasts is a hypnotic meditation on nature and sound that blends time-lapse footage of a bird feeder with trail camera footage of a mountain lion shot in real time. Set to a self-composed score drawn from Merritt's sound library, The Birds and The Beasts unfolds in a two-part structure that captures what it means to live in the wilderness by juxtaposing the cougar's power and majesty with the birds' spirit and freedom. A fragment of everyday reality, the birds and the mountain lion reveal something far more meaningful: a reflection on multispecies relations and our peaceful coexistence with animals.