The video exemplifies a post-humanist artistic position by dismantling human-centred perspectives and revealing the complex web of relationships between humans, animals and technology. Set in Puerto Rico’s Arecibo Observatory, the work explores how the world’s largest radio telescope searched for extraterrestrial intelligence, while critically endangered Puerto Rican parrots face extinction in the surrounding rainforest.

It challenges anthropocentric thinking by giving voice to a parrot narrator who questions humanity’s priorities: “Why aren’t they interested in listening to our voices?” This perspective draws on biosemiotics – the study of sign relations across species – suggesting that communication and intelligence exist beyond human understanding.

The artists highlight the agency of non-human actors, presenting the parrot not as a passive subject but as an active participant in creating meaning. The telescope itself becomes more than a piece of scientific equipment: it embodies humanity’s technological reach, while simultaneously representing our disconnect from local ecosystems.

Rooted in Puerto Rico’s colonial context, the work expresses criticism on how global scientific projects can overlook indigenous life forms. The near-extinction of these parrots through deforestation reflects broader patterns of environmental destruction resulting from human expansion and technological development.

By blurring boundaries between human and non-human intelligence, the video invites viewers to reconsider what constitutes meaningful communication and to recognise the interconnected nature of all life forms in our shared planetary existence. 

(Barnabás Bencsik)