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1981
Volume 13, Issue 1-2
  • ISSN: 2045-6298
  • E-ISSN: 2045-6301

Abstract

(2018) by Swiss filmmaker Ursula Biemann presents a significant contribution to an emerging movement among moving image artists who are depicting underwater spaces with eco-political motivation. Set within the vast coastal landscapes of the Lofoten Islands of Northern Norway, explores cetacean communication through sonar technology by tracing the actions of Sofia Jannok, a musician and climate activist from the Sámi community of Northern Scandinavia who performs the role of a ‘biologist-diver’. In this article, the interplay of image and sound in the work is framed within emerging literature and artistic practices at the intersection of technology, the blue humanities and environmental justice. Close analysis of the work highlights the importance of recognizing the limitations of sensory access in ocean spaces. These sensory limitations have political and epistemological implications concerning the dissemination of Indigenous knowledge systems to, and beyond, artistic audiences. At a time in which deep-sea mining and noise pollution are increasingly having a detrimental impact on submarine environments, provides a lens for conceiving more non-intrusive connections with underwater worlds.

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2024-12-31
2025-02-12
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