Forest Calls 2.0
An artistic and scientific journey inviting us to listen to the living world.
Project Overview
Forest Calls 2.0 is a long-term, transmedia artistic project that brings together artists, cultural practitioners, scientists, and communities to reflect on biodiversity and the accelerating disappearance of living worlds.
Inspired by “When Silence Becomes the Song“ (PBS), written and directed by DMC alum and COMM MA graduate student, Ella Marcil, the project unfolds across multiple forms – dance, music, film, immersive media, live performance, and public dialogue – each offering a different way of listening to the natural world and to the stories carried within it.
At its core, Forest Calls 2.0 explores how artistic practices can serve as bridges: between cultures, between disciplines, and between humans and the ecosystems they inhabit. The project includes Indigenous knowledge, scientific research, and contemporary artistic expression, not as parallel narratives, but as interconnected ways of understanding life.
Forest Calls 2.0 will culminate in a large-scale public presentation in October 2026 in Cincinnati, in conjunction with Blink 2026 and the Indigenous People’s Convergence. This transmedia project will include a live, multi-media performance, immersive stereoscopic 360° VR experience, public installations, and an interdisciplinary symposium, alongside the ongoing production of a full-length documentary tracing the project’s creative journey.
Project Components
Project Timeline
– Pre-Prod for “Forest Calls 2.0” begins –
Logistics and detailed planning of the transmedia project begins.
– Hawai’i delegation arrives in Cincinnati –
Cultural practitioners, scientists and artists from Hawai’i arrive in Cincinnati.
– “Story of the ‘Akikiki” Live Performance –
90-minute performance showcasing the artistic creative collaborations.
– Interdisciplinary Symposium –
Scientific presentations and collabs on the theme of “reconnecting with Nature”.
– Media Project Outputs –
The transmedia project gets shared with the general public.
Partners
Reflection.icu (Cincinnati)
University of Cincinnati (Cincinnati)
School of Communication, Film, and Media Studies(SCFMS) (Cincinnati)
College Conservatory of Music (CCM) (Cincinnati)
Center for Public Engagement with Science (PEWS) (Cincinnati)
School of Environment & Sustainability (SEaS) (Cincinnati)
University of Cincinnati Research Institute (UCRI) (Cincinnati)
Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden (Cincinnati)
Lights Out Cincinnati (Cincinnati)
Urban Native Collective (Cincinnati)
Ka ʻImi Naʻauao O Hawaiʻi Nei (Hawaiʻi)
Kauaʻi Forest Bird Recovery Project (Hawaiʻi)
Kauaʻi Invasive Species Committee (Hawaiʻi)
Mālama Hulē‘ia (Hawaiʻi)
Mālama Nā ʻĀpapa (Hawaiʻi)
Hōʻike Kauaʻi Community Media (Hawaiʻi)
Collaborators
Ella Marcil
Writer – Director / UC Graduate Student / Director, Reflection.icu
Jennifer Marcil
Founder-Director, Reflection.icu
Nancy Jennings
Niehoff Professor, College of Arts & Sciences – School of Communication, Film, and Media Studies, University of Cincinnati
Laura Zanotti
Professor and Director, College of Arts & Sciences – School of Environment and Sustainability, University of Cincinnati
Hee Ra Yoo
Assistant Professor, College Conservatory of Music – Dance, University of Cincinnati
Ailsa Lipscombe
Assistant Professor, College Conservatory of Music – Ethnomusicology, University of Cincinnati
Donald Hancock
Associate Professor, College Conservatory of Music – Media Production, University of Cincinnati
Teri Jacobs
Assistant Professor-Educator, College of Arts & Sciences – School of Environment and Sustainability, University of Cincinnati
Laura Dell
Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, College of Education, Criminal Justice, Human Services & Information Technology (CECH)
Sarah Schroeder
Professor, Field Service, College of Education, Criminal Justice, Human Services & Information Technology (CECH) – School of Education
Mollie O’Neil
Director of Community Partnerships in Conservation, Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden
Briana Mazzolini-Blanchard
Executive Director, Urban Native Collective
Sabra Kauka
Kumu
Sharon Balidoy
Hula Kumu, Ka ʻImi Naʻauao O Hawaiʻi Nei
Peleke Flores
Field Operations & Cultural Resources Manager, Mālama Hulēʻia
Makana
Hawaiian Musician
Lizzy Baxter
Forest Response Technician, Kauaʻi Invasive Species Committee
Allison Cabrera
Kauaʻi Mosquito Research Coordinator, Kauaʻi Forest Bird Recovery Project
Adriana Santacruz-Castro
Marine Biologist, Mālama Nā ʻĀpapa
Lisa “Cali” Crampton
Project Manager, Kauaʻi Forest Bird Recovery Project
Allegra Gaines
President & CEO, Hōʻike Kauaʻi Community Media
Louis-Gabriel Pothier
Canadian Musician
Frédéric Lussier
Creative Consultant – Logistical Support
Serge Marcil
Creative Producer – Technical Director
Updates and Recent Posts
New Logo
It is our pleasure to unveil the official logo for “Forest Calls 2.0.” Our journey began in 2022 when we were invited to document the…
Recent Public Presentations
We have been busy lately, promoting “Forest Calls” and gathering momentum, as we continue to secure partnerships with scientists, artists and cultural practitioners – both…
Discovery In Action Showcase
The “Discovery in Action Showcase” is an event designed to bring the UC College of Arts and Sciences community together. It provides a platform for…
‘2026 Artist In Residence’
We are happy to announce that Louis-Gabriel Pothier has been named ‘Artist In Residence’ for the 2026 edition of “Forest Calls”. Louis-Gabriel is an independent…
Creative Conservation class (EVST 4001)
We are delighted to announce that Dr. Laura Zanotti and Dr. Teri Jacobs are teaching Creative Conservation (EVST 4001) this fall in conjunction with “Forest…
Social Justice Spaces for Children Honors Class – Fall 2026
This fall, Dr. Nancy Jennings, Dr. Laura Dell, and Dr. Sarah Schroeder will be teaching Social Justice Spaces for Children (CI 3036/COMM 3036) as an…
PEWS Award
The Center for Public Engagement with Science (PEWS) has awarded Forest Calls 2.0 a grant for $2,625 to support the travel of Sabra Kauka, a…
A Celebration of UC Film and Media Arts
Come out to the Celebration of UC Film and Media Arts to see the award-winning film of Ella Marcil as part of the night of…
“DISCOVERY IN ACTION Showcase”
Hi everyone, The VOTING is now open for UC’s “DISCOVERY IN ACTION Showcase”. As I posted on February 17th, I’ll be presenting our “Forest Calls…
SEaS – Interdisciplinary Symposium
The School of Environment and Sustainability (SEaS) has dedicated $2,500 in support of the interdisciplinary symposium on October 13, 2026. This funding will be allocated…
Celebration of UC Film and Media Arts
Ella Marcil, Nancy Jennings and Jennifer Marcil at the opening of the ‘Celebration of UC Film and Media Arts’. The 2026 Celebration of UC Film…
“Discovery in Action Showcase”
Dean James Mack and Ella at the award ceremony. The 2026 “Discovery in Action Showcase” was held at the Tangeman University Center’s Great Hall on…
Ecologies of Sound (MUHS 8048-001)
“Ecologies of Sound” (MUHS 8048-001) To get more information about this graduate level course, please contact Ailsa Lipscombe at: lipscoaa@ucmail.uc.edu To get more information about…
Production Call – Seeking Videographers
Amplifying the voices of Nature Conservation – from Hawaiʻi to Cincinnati. By weaving artistic expression, scientific knowledge and Indigenous wisdom into a powerful transmedia bridge,…
Prix Jeunesse International – Day 1
Ella and I are thrilled to be attending Prix Jeunesse International 2026 in Munich, Germany. Yesterday, Ella sharpened her writing skills at the ‘Funnybones: Writing…
Prix Jeunesse International – Day 2
Day 2 at Prix Jeunesse International 2026 was filled with screening and discussing the fiction shows and shorts for 11-15-year-olds. This is the first year…
Prix Jeunesse International – Day 3
What a day and night at Prix Jeunesse International 2026! Day 3 was filled with screening and discussing the non-fiction shows and shorts for 7-10-year-olds….
Prix Jeunesse International – Day 4
Another busy day at Prix Jeunesse International 2026! Day 4 included screening and discussing the fiction shows and shorts for 7-10-year-olds. The evening brought a…
Prix Jeunesse International – Day 5
Time for preschool shows and shorts at Prix Jeunesse International 2026! Day 5 included screening and discussing the non-fiction shows and shorts for Up to…
Prix Jeunesse International – Day 6
Last day at Prix Jeunesse International 2026! Day 6 included screening and discussing the fiction shows for Up to 6-year-olds. There were two shows in…