Ursula Biemann by Li-Cheng

Ursula Biemann

Born 1955 in Switzerland

Biemann's artistic practice is strongly research-oriented. She focuses on climate and ecological issues around the world and conducts practical investigations, including forests, glaciers and oceans. Her multi-layered videos are combining various micro-politics and theory into a macroscopic vision. Basing the videos on strong scientific foundation and intriguing words, she repeatedly raises reflections.

Chosen Work

Acoustic Ocean ｜ 2018

The work is an exploration of oceanic depths and interspecies relations above and below the waterline of the Lofoten Islands in Northern Norway. The film is based on scientific research and is described in a vision of a bystander. People thought of the deep sea as silence until these spy technologies initiated a new understanding of the ocean as an acoustic and semiotic ecosphere. The development of technology has opened the prelude to the acoustic field in the ocean, but it has also disrupted the original order of nature.

Sofia Jannok makes her appearance in the person of a Sami biologist-diver. In the film, Sofia is like an explorer who is using all sorts of hydrophones, parabolic mics, and recording devices. She perceives the underwater environment and remixes the collected materials in an attempt to create a song or an animal radio. In one scene, she directly speaks alonghe with the camera, saaying that the climate change led to a crisis on long-term stable interrelationship between the Sami and the reindeer. They are the first line of the affected group. The words are few but extremely powerful.

The sounds from the ocean intuitively present the impact between humans and ecology. Through the overlap of old and new knowledge, we can predict that something will not exist, and the sea will be mute. The film attempts to explore the relationship between humans and the ocean. Acoustic Ocean is a warning, reflection and Introspection.

video installation 18 min

location : Lofoten Islands

performer : Sofia Jannok

inspired by : Sami

Acoustic Ocean recording (photo by Li-Ch

Scientific background

Sámi

The Sami is one of the largest aboriginal groups and the only surviving nomads in Europe. Today it is distributed in most of the northern regions of Norway and Sweden, northern Finland and the Murmansk region of Russia. Traditionally, Sami people pursue a variety of livelihoods, including coastal fishing, fur fishing and shepherding. Their most famous means of livelihood is semi-nomadic reindeer herding.

[Here are the equipment used by Sofia in the film.]

A. bolic microphone

A parabolic microphone is like a small TV satellite dish, but it collects sound waves. It can expand the collection range and reflect the sound waves to the mic (the point at which the sound is collected)due to the parabolic-shaped receiver facilitates . Usually, It is used to record long distant and directional sounds.

B. hydrophones

A hydrophone is a microphone designed to match the acoustic impedance of water, a denser fluid than air and to be used underwater for recording or listening to underwater sound. Most hydrophones are based on a piezoelectric transducer that generates an electric potential when subjected to a pressure change, such as a sound wave.

[The film mentions the interaction between the communication mode of marine animals and other sounds.]

Sonic manifestations and bioluminescence

Sonic manifestations and bioluminescence are vital modes of communication, navigation and survival for a great majority of deep-sea beings. Given the poor visibility in the deep sea, the sonic dimension is the primary means of communication, navigation and survival in this penumbral liquid universe. For example, Blue whales sometimes transmit the message by sound waves which frequencies are lower than 14 Hz. The human ear can not hear it. Low-frequency sound waves have less scattering, distortion and transmission losses, and therefore tend to transfer farther.

two major nature sounds in the ocean

1. sonic manifestations by species

2. earthquake sound

Sonic manifestations and bioluminescence

1. sonar

Sonar is the main submarine detection system used by the Navy. To detect the target, the warship will generate extremely loud waves of sound that sweep the ocean.

2. seismic

In order to detect oil and gas deposits beneath the ocean, the explosives used in the petrochemical industry cause strong sound pulses in the seafloor, which last for several days or weeks.

3. shipping

Cavitation from propellers and the rumble of engines reverberate weaken the ability of marine species to listen and be heard. At any given time, there are up to sixty thousand commercial ships traversing our seas worldwide.

These noises are almost similar to the audio of marine life, which can make the them malfunction. It is like you are struggling to talk in noisy occasions, so the words are simple but not precise. In addition, seawater absorbs about 40% of the carbon dioxide produced by humans which causes acidification in large quantities, these noises are not easily absorbed. As a result, the noises are more diffuse, will greatly reduce the chances of survival of marine life.

Sound waves passing through the water are five times faster than in the air. The speed of sound waves in seawater is about 1500 meters per second, while air is only 340 meters per second. The density of water is larger than that of air. The density of water is greater than that of air. To be more specific, when sound waves enter the whale's ear, there is almost no acoustic impedance. Although they have the special skull structure to reduce interference, the noise still causes some damage to them.

The human way of life is forcing animals to change their way of life. In 2000, 16 whales were stranded on the seaside in Bahamas, and scientists pointed out the cause to the sonar of naval warships. Moreover, the number of shore seals in Great Yarmouth has dropped sharply because the power plant turbine continues to slap the waves. You can imagine how difficult it is to stay in this environment every day. Scientist George V. Frisk mentioned that the average noise in the northern Pacific increased by 19 decibels from 1950 to 2007, during which while global ocean noise only rose.

The hertz (Hz) is the derived unit of frequency and is defined as one cycle per second.

audio frequency of human ear acceptable audio : 20-20000 (Hz)

audio frequency of whale and dolphin acceptable : 10-160000 (Hz)

Issue

The watery world stores memories that have evolved across a range of different timescales. However, porous bodies that are susceptible to severe acidification in habitats will quickly disappear. The evolution of the past will become the unknown of the future.

The work recounts the uneven effects of a shifting climate on the indigenous Sami community, and the reindeer on which their economic and cultural sovereignty rely. Moreover, it presents the impact of artificial factors on ocean species.

three types noises (photo by Li-Cheng).j

Methods

[hearing]

We can't synchronize the hearing of the sea creatures (for example : blue whales), but the basic feeling can cross regardless of the species. For instance, some farmers ask musicians to play play songs for the cows, which leads to more and sweeter milk secretion. If making noise is a necessity, can we convert it into a sweet melody?

I collect three types of ocean noise (such as the sound of a ship) and the natural sounds of the ocean, and then combine them on the same sound file. Furthermore, I present them one by one, and then use the app to extract the notes and mix them into a song.

The sound transmitted by water is different from the usual feeling in the air. I will put the music player into the water and listen to the song through the simulated environment. Instead of explaining it, I just feel it.

[vision]

The Sami have a unique totem (Alta Petroglyphs ) to record the culture and the environment. In the Acoustic Ocean, the dialogue of Sofia has produced pictures in my mind, and the indigenous people of Lan-yu in my country, Taiwan, are also the ones also the ones who make a loving at sea. They (Tao) have owned narrative totem. I will imitate, blend their painting styles, record about their encounters.

I use fluorescent pigments to make the totem glow in the dark, just like silence communication between humans and marine creature.