Echo myotis

Echo Myotis is an immersive and interactive installation where visitors can see their own voices turned into visual patterns using echolocation. The piece draws attention to the little brown bat (Myotis lucifugus), a threatened species in Wisconsin, by letting people experience how the bat perceives the world.

The installation consists of three primary built elements: a bullhorn for human vocalization, a button that summons the little brown bat’s call, and an illuminated bat house that activates when bat calls and echolocation visuals occur. An interpretation of sound waves will emanate from the participant’s bullhorn, transforming voice into spatial sound, radiating light.

Much like biological echolocation, these visualized waves shift in intensity, radiance, and detail in response to changes in pitch and volume. When the bat is summoned, its call is projected back toward the participant, completing a reciprocal communication loop between human and bat. Through this exchange, Echomyotis invites reflection on interspecies communication, ecological vulnerability, and the act of listening as a form of connection.