ASH ELIZA SMITH



DECENTERED LISTENING ~ ICE VIBRATIONS
IDEAS Performance
Calit2 Theater, Atkinson Hall
Qualcomm Institute (QI)

*This project was supported by Qualcomm Institute’s Initiative for Digital Exploration of Arts and Sciences (IDEAS) Award.

DECENTERED LISTENING ~ ICE VIBRATIONS is an immersive sound installation created with seismic data collected from Antarctica. This ongoing performance asks the audience to reconsider their methods of perception by reposing and listening to the Ross Ice Shelf with us.

Scripps Institution of Oceanography researcher Peter Bromirski traveled to Antarctica as part of the NSF Polar Programs to detect wave signals that propagate through ice to determine ice shelf integrity. We have sonified the data collected on April 19th, 2015-exactly three years ago. In this iteration, the project is an exploration of metaphors including 1) the musical vibrations of the planet, 2) sympathetic vibrations between water and ice and 3) the Earth-human relationship as a musical instrument.

This project serves as research and prototype for an upcoming exhibit that is in development with Birch Aquarium at Scripps Institution of Oceanography.

Team: Yuka Murakami, Forest Reid, Ash Eliza Smith, Peter Bromirski and Glen McClure (NSF Artist and Writers Program, 2015) with production assistance from John Abboud and Francesca Moore.

Click here to Listen:
DecenteredListeningStereoBounce.mp3

Waves Impacting Ice

Crack (Rift) in Ross Ice Shelf

Crack (Rift) in Ross Ice Shelf

Scientists Collecting Data