How Deep is the Ocean? (Narratives of Loss), 2021
Real-time audio installation
Materials: speakers, computer
In 2014, nine blue whales died in the Gulf of Saint Lawrence after being trapped by pack ice. Three of these bodies drifted into Gros Morne National Park in Western Newfoundland and were recovered in Bonne Bay by the Royal Ontario Museum for its collections. You are listening to a real-time audio stream of the marine soundscape of Bonne Bay, captured with a submerged hydrophone. The soundscape documents the acoustic experience of marine species as they approach the shoreline. Occasionally, the audio will be joined by a series of conversations Losier will be conducting with local community members, curators and researchers who contributed to the history and mythology of these events.
The stories and soundscapes collected during this project will create an oral archive of this time, memorializing its environmental, cultural and social impact, as well as documenting the ongoing ecosystem of the region.
The infrastructure for this installation is facilitated by the Bonne Bay Marine Station in Norris Point, NL.
The artist gratefully acknowledges the support of ArtsNL, the Canada Council for the Arts, and Memorial University.