Adapted to the dark: Rhaphidophoridae

Background For biosemiotics gaining “semiotic freedom” is a persistent trend in evolution (Hoffmeyer 1992). In contrast to non-semiotic tools, semiotic capacity keeps generating evolutionary novelties once communication becomes a decisive fitness factor for the species. Applying biosemiotics to documentary making, this research investigated how the art of sound design enables storytelling innovation reflecting the semiotic freedom of the more-than-human in a video documentary on cave crickets in Australia. Contribution In 2020 I coproduced and designed the soundtrack for a 10-minute documentary on cave crickets in Australia as part of the International Year of Caves and Karst 2021, the only global peak body dedicated to scientific cave conservation. Using on-site field recording with narration, the narrative attributed equal agency to the human voice, environmental ambience and sound design - while conveying scientific findings to the general public in an accessible manner. Treating sound this way changed how we presented the cave crickets in the documentary. Significance Cave crickets are a largely overlooked species in conservation efforts. The documentary was funded by the Karst Conservation Fund ($2,500) and community crowd funding ($2000). Its online launch attracted 170 viewers, and two conference invitations: The Cave Animal of Year 2021 and the ASF Conference 2022. It won the International Year of Caves and Karst (IYCK) 2021 creative competition that was jointly run by Australasian Cave and Karst Management Association (ACKMA), Australian Speleological Federation (ASF) and New Zealand Speleological Society (NZSS).