Soundings is a three-screen film work exploring deep-sea mining for minerals from the seabed and its ecological, geopolitical, and cultural impacts. Deep sea locations, soundscapes and voices weave together to take audiences on a journey into the deep. From encounters with deep-sea creatures to ancestral stories of our oceanic origins, the film invites us to reflect on our relationship with the deep ocean. Maps by ocean cartographer Marie Tharp show the first maps ever drawn of the seabed. Amongst the voices, Pacific activists, as well as lawyers, defend the ocean against mining. Some of the survey footage of the seabed (gathered from remotely operated vehicles) is from prospected mining sites in the Pacific. This, together with debates on ocean governance, highlights the complex issue of mining the seafloor.
At moments during the exhibition, live dance performances animate the work.
Nearby a rolling transcript relays the debate from the latest meeting of the International Seabed Authority (ISA) where States debate the regulations for mining, amid growing calls for a pause or moratorium.
Also displayed, a public letter from the Republic of Nauru states their intentions to submit an application to mine, even in the absence of official regulations.
