Image, sound, water
Ursula Biemann's Acoustic Ocean (2018)
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 5717463 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Freddie Curtis (0000-0002-9911-4889, Film Independent, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2024 |
| Volume | 13 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 45-64 |
| Publication date | 2024-12-01 |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Moving Image Review & Art Journal (MIRAJ (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2045-6298 • E-ISSN: 2045-6301 |
| Publisher | Intellect (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1386/miraj_00129_1 |
| OpenAlex | W4405925533 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 5 |
Acoustic Ocean (2018) by Swiss filmmaker Ursula Biemann presents a significant contribution to an emerging movement among moving image artists who are depicting underwater spaces with eco-political motivation. Set within the vast coastal landscapes of the Lofoten Islands of Northern Norway, Acoustic Ocean explores cetacean communication through sonar technology by tracing the actions of Sofia Jannok, a musician and climate activist from the Sámi community of Northern Scandinavia who performs the role of a 'biologist-diver'. In this article, the interplay of image and sound in the work is framed within emerging literature and artistic practices at the intersection of technology, the blue humanities and environmental justice. Close analysis of the work highlights the importance of recognizing the limitations of sensory access in ocean spaces. These sensory limitations have political and epistemological implications concerning the dissemination of Indigenous knowledge systems to, and beyond, artistic audiences. At a time in which deep-sea mining and noise pollution are increasingly having a detrimental impact on submarine environments, Acoustic Ocean provides a lens for conceiving more non-intrusive connections with underwater worlds
Acoustics · Art · Physics · Ecocriticism and Environmental Literature · Environmental Science · Geographies of human-animal interactions · Sound Studies and Aurality · Geology · Oceanography
| Highly cited | No |
|---|