Melt Me Into The Ocean Installation
Sounds from the deep ocean canyon of Monterey Bay hang below video of humpback whales at the ocean surface. This sound and video installation is part of a larger project – Melt Me Into The Ocean – exploring how we can deepen our relationship to the ocean environment through art, science and listening. It involves an exploration into the experience of color, sound and environment as “polymorphous magical substance” (Tausig) and the ocean as energy-exchange or “chi”. Multi-channel video and sound installation, color prints, work in progress.
Unlike most recorded whale or dolphin sounds we may have heard, listening directly to the ocean environment is a more complex experience. The sounds emerge from the distance, blend with each other, echo off canyon walls, and are submerged in a loud ambient ocean hiss. The distinct ‘songs’ of humpback whales that repeat in long patterns, multiple overlapping echolocation clicks of perhaps dolphins, and even the lowest bass of the blue whale rumbles at the very edge of our hearing range, immersed in an ocean ambience that may include the sound of rain on the surface.
Sounds recorded by the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute hydrophone, thanks to MBARI Senior Research Specialist John Ryan for providing access to the data.
Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History special event Sensation: as evening of sensory science exploration
Saturday 10 Feb 2018, 7pm – 9pm
