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Symposium
Lisa
Walker
Sea of Invisible Waves
Presented Sunday May 12th at 11
am
As
I sit in here writing, the rain patters on the deck above.
The wind whistles through the halyards and draws the sea to
the side of the boat. I sleep at night with one ear to the
ocean and the other listening intently for a change in the
pattern of drips that would alert me to a leak - a small opening
in the deck that would allow a trickle of water to enter inside
and find a point of release in the cabin below.
The human ear is connected to the brain by 50,000 nerve fibers.
The dolphin's ear has over twice this amount and detects frequencies
that are on average four times higher than the ones we hear.
Like the leak in my boat, the trickle of stimulus we receive
from the outside world is a mere drop in the bucket of what
exists outside our perceptual framework. How can we relate
to an animal who hears through objects? Who can visualize
not only the body contours but the internal composition of
muscle, bone and flesh by use of sound? How would we begin
to communicate with a creature who can send out six signals
simultaneously - three on each side of its body?
Beneath the ocean waves sound radiates and fluctuates, curving
itself along the floor and echoing off every surface. When
we enter this environment we quickly become aware how much
we are adapted to air and light - how in the depths and darkness
our ears and eyes become inefficient and our language ineffective.
Marine mammals, however, have adapted beautifully to the demands
of the sea, developing complex acoustic systems that rival
our own. From evolving rhythms and patterns to rich overtones
and cadences, careful listening to these creatures gives us
extraordinary insight into the perceptual fabric of our own
lives and the sea of invisible waves in which we all swim.
Lisa
Walker- Biography
Lisa Walker's interest in nature, sound and technology, combined
with her classical violin training, gives her a unique blend
of skills with which to explore nature's acoustic nuances.
She works across mediums and subject matters, corresponding
with biologists, behaviour ecologists, philosophers and choreographers
in an effort to discover the true essence of what lays beyond
the immediate, sensuous world.
www.groovedwhale.com
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