Does the Ocean have Memory?
Memory exists in the Ocean in many forms. In physical systems, in ecological interdependence, in human stories, and wherever feedback processes allow life to exhibit its wonderful collaborative unpredictability.
The Ocean Memory Project is a community exploring the intersections of the concepts of Ocean and Memory.
The Ocean Memory Project is a community exploring the intersections of the concepts of Ocean and Memory. Ocean Memory is a concept born in 2016 at a transdisciplinary conference of the National Academies of Science, Medicine and Engineering devoted to the Mesopelagic (or deep ocean). At that workshop, a group gathered to explore concepts around biodiversity and the microbiome came up with a question:
“Does the ocean have memory, and if so, what form does it take?”
The Ocean Memory Project, born from that early seed, seeks to bring together researchers from across disciplines in science, the humanities and the arts, as well as from diverse cultures, to explore and develop this question through a trans-disciplinary lens.
Our community is expanding. With now over 100 members we come from a broad spectrum of disciplines and cultural backgrounds, from oceanography to neuroscience, to visual art, to theater, to sonification, to history, to philosophy, to journalism.
If you are interested to be part of our community send us an e-mail sharing your story to: community@oceanmemoryproject.org
Here are a few of my sound-based works that were inspired by Ocean Memory and the Ocean Memory Project community.
Reef Recall (2018) for live cello and coral reef soundscapes
Reef Recall invites a live audience on a cello-guided tour of human connections to the ocean World of Sound, from aquatic womb memories to coral reefs resounding with shrimp snaps, to dolphin echolocation. Conceptually it explores marine soundscapes and ecosystems, human connection with the ocean, and the concept of ocean memory. The composition combines raw and manipulated coral reef recordings with live cello performance. The cello serves as a tour guide, highlighting patterns in the soundscape, as well as embodying human interaction with marine ecosystems. The composition unfolds in six movements.
Reef Recall Remix (2021) digital track
In Reef Recall Remix: Duty Cycle Mysteries, a recording of the live performance of Reef Recall was sampled to form the basis of a new work. The sampling methodology mimics the process of sampling the marine soundscape, and scales exactly with the duty cycle used in Spence’s field research (30 seconds per 15 minutes in the field scales down to 2 seconds per 1 minute for Reef Recall Remix). These regularly spaced sound observations create the core, from which reverberant echoes fill the unknown. Reverb on the samples evokes extrapolation of the direct observation space into the spaces in which the recording device is “resting.” Time evolves into a representation of scientific observation, through self-sampling and extrapolation, and quasi-familiar aerophonic musings in the form of new flute samples shape interpretation.
Fossil Whale Ears Instrument (2022)
An instrument connecting fossil whale ear bones, emerged in saltwater, connected to programmed MIDI with recordings of whales and recordings of the whale ear bones themselves, emitting bubbles (a proxy measurement of porosity). This project is made possible by the Unlocking Ocean Memory seed grant.
Whale Hello There (2023) album
Marine biologist, musician, and composer Heather Spence interprets underwater field recordings by jamming with them. In “Whale Hello There” she highlights voices of marine creatures including whales, seals, and even shrimp, other underwater sounds such as anthropogenic noises, and acoustic and digital instruments. These compositions explore themes of marine conservation, and the ocean’s voice.
The compositional process used in this album is an exploration of Ocean Memory: jamming now with past soundscapes
Reckoning of the Abyss (2023) sheet music, work for string orchestra with viola da gamba soloist
Reckoning of the Abyss explores memories held in the ocean. Surface waters, that once swelled under ancient pirate ship battles, connect with deep waters. In the high pressure darkness near the sea floor, how does the ocean reshape and revisit past experiences, and what will resurface?
