Ocean Acoustics Project : The Art and Science of Beginnings

In June I had a terrific opportunity to be a part of a science voyage: I was invited to join scientists   aboard the Research Vessel Endeavor.  Working at the edge of the Outer Continental Shelf in the Atlantic Ocean, we were at sea for three weeks working round the clock to collect data that helps researchers understand what is happening in the ocean ecosystem.  One of the best ways to study the ocean ecosystem is by using ocean acoustics. (More on this in later posts!)

My job as an artist was to learn the basics of this fascinating branch of science and create art that helps others understand and appreciate the ocean ecosystem.  I'm dusting off this blog in order to share my art/science process with you. This is the first installment sharing my process of this (as of yet) unnamed project expressing ocean acoustics.

A year before the project started, I began  preliminary research on ocean acoustics and filled up one large sketchbook. This early sketchbook is a necessary, awkward phase in the project and out of all these mostly discarded ideas, I begin to refine my ideas. I often look over these first sketchbooks for my project at a later date and mine them for ideas in future projects.

Once on board the ship, I had access to scientists, scientific papers, and the ships crew and dug into the concepts of active and passive acoustics as well as the tools necessary for collecting data. No matter how long I've been collaborating with scientists, this is an uncomfortable phase. Every branch of science has its own specialized vocabulary, acronyms and concepts. At the same time I was  learning the science, I was adjusting to life at sea, meeting a boat load of new people and training to use equipment we were deploying to collect data. It was a challenging few weeks! 

Test sample

Dupoini silk colors

At the beginning of every project, I'm plunging into the great unknown. I'm struggling to learn the science, gathering lots of images for inspiration and creating both paper and textile sketches. The beginning phase is all about both staying  open to new learning and ideas and beginning to refine some general directions like color and textile selection. Out of this rich experience, I began to distill my ideas for the project and select the colors and fabrics I wanted to use to express the science. 

                                     

Once I lock on to general direction for the project, I use a large sheet of graph paper to plot out my ideas for the art work. Here I'm planning out two pieces: one for active acoustics and one for passive acoustics.

In future posts, I'll detail what I was learning and my artistic inspiration for the project. 

Boundary Layer: Fungi, Lichens, Mosses

Woodland Fungi of Swallow Cliff Woods, IL

Boundary Layer

The top few inches of the earth’s crust is home to some of the most fascinating and necessary micro habitats on the planet. Before early land plants first escaped the oceans, the way would have been prepared by crustose lichens whose enzymes have the ability to break down the hard, rocky surfaces. Lichens attract and retain moisture and dust particles that in turn create the perfect conditions for micro plants like mosses and liverworts to survive desiccating winds and manage water resources.  Mosses also provide a home for the water-loving hyphae of fungi and a microscopic zoo of creatures. These small organisms form the necessary foundation for a succession of larger vascular plants to thrive.

Medieval Reliquaries from the Art Institute of Chicago inspired the creation of this work. These bejeweled receptacles housed the venerated bones of saints and provided an apt metaphor for valuing and celebrating this community of diminutive plants and organisms.

                                     

                                    

Marine Lichens of Coastal Brittany

Many thanks to the scientists and organizations that helped me learn about these micro habitats and the organisms that inhabit them.

      Office of the Provost, Columbia College Chicago for a faculty grant      

Dr. Patrick Leacock, School of The Art Institute, Illinois Mycological Association

Paul Mayer, Field Museum

Wyatt Gaswick, Field Museum

Lorinda Sues, Illinois Mycological Association

LichensMaritimes.org for their permission to use photographs for reference

Dr. Erin A. Tripp, University of Colorado, author of “Field Guide to the Lichens of White Rocks Open Space”

Dr. Matt Nelsen, Field Museum

Dr. Matt Von Konrat, Field Museum

Michael Kuo, author of “Mushrooms of the Midwest”

Burns Bog at the Delta Nature Reserve, Vancouver, B.C. Canada

Boundary Layer Project: Micro habitats of Lichens, Mosses and Fungi

 Process shots from the development of the Alpine Community piece. I hand dyed the red velvet to look mottled and more natural. I've used three shades of pearl beads, DMC floss and metallic thread.

Here, I'm working out the Marine Lichen community piece with help and inspiration from Lichens Marins group working off the coast of Brittany. 

Bogs are amazing habitats filled with diversity in both plant and animal species. They help retain water in dry landscapes. Bogs take millennia  to establish and only a few short years to destroy. Burns Bog in Vancouver Canada  was kind enough to help me learn more about these endangered habitats.

Contaminated Drinking Water in Rural Areas

Small drinking water utilities do not have to abide by the same safety regulations as large drinking water plants and as a result, rural water often remains contaminated. Here is the USA Today with details.  Here is a report by the National Institute for Health saying the same thing. Access to uncontaminated drinking water has been one of the most significant public health initiatives in human history, along with treated waste water.  How can we have such different water quality standards for rural vs urban drinking water?

Textile Sketches: Sheer Neutrals

For my small textile sketches, I create self imposed limitations. This series of sketches was inspired by Leonardo di Vinci's sketchbook.  The sketch is of explosive canon balls so I wanted to use materials in complete opposition to this. The above sketch is bead work on transparent organza. I had to plan the embroidery carefully as the back side shows through to the front side.

This one uses silk fibers, bamboo rods and beads.

I made my own springs by winding wire over a pencil.

And here,I'm using mulberry paper and beads.

Cold Water Dyeing

I have been spending time thinking about natural dyes in the easierst lightest way. India Flint's book, "Eco Color" is a classic on the subject. In one of the chapters, she describes the easiest way to use natural dyes: use color water and time. If you want to make the process even easier, use protein fibers: silk or wool. The natural colors in plant dyes bond naturally with protein fibers. If you use cellulosic fibers (cotton or linen for example) you will need to use a mordant of some sort so that the color will bond.

Here are my initial experiments.

Plant Dyes

Plant dyes are unpredictable, charming and a chance to experiment with color without harmful chemicals. I love how the colors harmonize with each other. No harsh colors with these plant dyes.