As above, so below
Jan 14, 2023, 10:56 AM
"As soon as I heard the sounds of the Ross seals, they reminded me of recordings of space weather radio waves that are made audible through the use of ground-based radio receivers. This so-called ‘natural radio’ from the Earth’s magnetosphere can be caused by space weather phenomena, like solar winds, as well as lightning, and even the auroras - the Northern & Southern lights. Combining the ethereal sounds of the Ross seal with the aural chorus of natural radio, the composition seeks to draw together the far-flung locales of the Ross Sea, which is the southernmost sea on Earth, and the Earth’s magnetosphere, the magnetic field surrounding our home planet. Through sonic alchemy, I seek the merging of the magnetic south with the magnetosphere.
"I hope this composition conjures a vision of small, big-eyed Ross seals swimming through a sky lit by the aurora, communing and communicating with mammals and solar winds alike. I imagine that their particular cadence and whirling pitches are conversant with the audible radio waves of space. Perhaps the unique fluency of the Ross seal is that it speaks a language that is both aquatic and celestial. It speaks to both the depths of the sky and the depths of the sea.
"Knowing that in actuality the Ross seals live in a mostly inaccessible part of the Antarctic, I imagine them swimming beneath the ice, living their lives, impervious to the impact of humanity on their habitat. But given the reality of a rapidly warming world, I was driven to envision an alternative to the image of the melting of the ice shelf putting them in peril. So, that’s why I decided to take the sounds of the Ross seal to a new location - someplace with an eternal quality - an imaginary celestial refuge where they can swim freely without impact from warming seas.
"I created this piece in Reaper. I purchased royalty free recordings by long-time recorder of the magnetosphere, Stephen P. McGreevy, and mixed in the sounds with the Ross seal recording. I created 4 tracks of the number 017 Ross seal field recording, and added different effects to each track, including reverb, delay, distortion, compressor and EQ. There are multiple tracks of natural radio, including the crackle of lightning, the whine of whistlers and the voice of the earth chorus. The piece is underlain by waves - ocean waves, sound waves and the audible radio waves of the magnetosphere. All of these ethereal sounds seemed likely to make the recording float away, so it’s anchored with a bass line melody that aims to ground the piece in a feeling of exploration, but also of comfort - because after all, as otherworldly as these sounds may seem, they are all part of our home planet."
Ross seal reimagined by Elizabeth LoGiudice.
Part of the Polar Sounds project, a collaboration between Cities and Memory, the Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity (HIFMB) and the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI). Explore the project in full at http://citiesandmemory.com/polar-sounds.
"I hope this composition conjures a vision of small, big-eyed Ross seals swimming through a sky lit by the aurora, communing and communicating with mammals and solar winds alike. I imagine that their particular cadence and whirling pitches are conversant with the audible radio waves of space. Perhaps the unique fluency of the Ross seal is that it speaks a language that is both aquatic and celestial. It speaks to both the depths of the sky and the depths of the sea.
"Knowing that in actuality the Ross seals live in a mostly inaccessible part of the Antarctic, I imagine them swimming beneath the ice, living their lives, impervious to the impact of humanity on their habitat. But given the reality of a rapidly warming world, I was driven to envision an alternative to the image of the melting of the ice shelf putting them in peril. So, that’s why I decided to take the sounds of the Ross seal to a new location - someplace with an eternal quality - an imaginary celestial refuge where they can swim freely without impact from warming seas.
"I created this piece in Reaper. I purchased royalty free recordings by long-time recorder of the magnetosphere, Stephen P. McGreevy, and mixed in the sounds with the Ross seal recording. I created 4 tracks of the number 017 Ross seal field recording, and added different effects to each track, including reverb, delay, distortion, compressor and EQ. There are multiple tracks of natural radio, including the crackle of lightning, the whine of whistlers and the voice of the earth chorus. The piece is underlain by waves - ocean waves, sound waves and the audible radio waves of the magnetosphere. All of these ethereal sounds seemed likely to make the recording float away, so it’s anchored with a bass line melody that aims to ground the piece in a feeling of exploration, but also of comfort - because after all, as otherworldly as these sounds may seem, they are all part of our home planet."
Ross seal reimagined by Elizabeth LoGiudice.
Part of the Polar Sounds project, a collaboration between Cities and Memory, the Helmholtz Institute for Functional Marine Biodiversity (HIFMB) and the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI). Explore the project in full at http://citiesandmemory.com/polar-sounds.