Off the coasts of Spitsbergen and Helgoland, a remarkable underwater art project is listening in on the depths of the sea. Using hydrophones, The artists use hydrophones to record the acoustic environment of a scientific climate impact research project – the endless hum of marine life and the technological noises caused by humans. But this is no ordinary research endeavour; it’s a groundbreaking exploration of sound and its role in art and science.
At the heart of this project is the Computer Signals Archive, an innovative repository of underwater soundscapes. What sets this archive apart is its dual focus: it captures both the natural acoustic environment and the internal workings of the scientific devices themselves.
Using pick-up sensors, the project has recorded the operational sounds of scientific instruments, blending these meta-noises with the marine soundscape. This creates a unique pairing of listening to the ocean and making the process of listening itself audible.
Over the past decade, the archive has accumulated a staggering 50,000 hours of audio streams. These recordings, housed on a specially designed archive platform, are now open to exploration within the dissemination project called See Signals Sea Noise. Artists and enthusiasts are encouraged to contribute their sound works under the hashtag #seesignals via Instagram and upload their work to Soundcloud.
The archive is part of Swiss visual artist Hannes Rickli’s work – professorship at the Zurich University of the Arts – which documents the activities of biologists conducting their research. Rickli’s approach goes beyond observation, delving into the visual and auditory dimensions of scientific exploration. The archive offers a multi-perspective view of an underwater observatory in action, capturing:
- The ambient sounds of the ocean through high-resolution hydrophones.
- The electrical power usage of the observatory station’s components.
- Shifting electromagnetic fields within the underwater setup, including areas surrounding a camera.
Now, this artistic-scientific trove is being reimagined for creative experimentation by inviting musicians and sound artists to engage with the material, creating music, installations, and sound experiments.
Swiss musician Ben Kaczor is collaborating with See Signals Sea Noise to develop innovative formats that bring the sounds to life. Other contributing artists include Dianita, Lb Honne and Hatarii, whose live performance and spoken-word podcast can be streamed via the Soundcloud playlist below.
Events such as workshops, live performances, and interactive exhibits have already begun, including a presentation at the I Never Read book fair during Art Basel 2024, where attendees could interact with samples at a synthesizer station.
Looking ahead, the project aims to activate the archive further over the next 1-2 years with curated events and special commissions. These will include installations, sound experiments, club nights and music releases, all inspired by the vast underwater audio landscape.
The Computer Signals Archive, developed by sound artist Valentina Vuksic and operated by Birk Weiberg and Christoph Stähli is funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation and hosted by Zurich University of the Arts (ZHdK) represents an unprecedented fusion of art and science.
First launched in 2012, the archive is continually expanding and is accessible under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. All sounds can be freely downloaded and used for artistic purposes, providing a rich resource for creatives worldwide.
With its unique blend of scientific rigor and artistic curiosity, the archive invites a fresh reflection on the materiality of the digital and the infrastructural realities of climate research. It’s a project that not only listens to the sea but also amplifies the act of listening itself, turning it into an art form.