Date: Tuesday, March 3, 2020
Time: 9:00 am Refreshments, 9:30 am Program
Place: Holland Civic Center (150 W 8th Street)
Program: Ocean Acoustics: The Art of Sound in The Sea -Lindsay Olson, Art and Science Artist
We are visual creatures. But underwater, visibility falls off dramatically and the kinds of visual observations that biologists use to study terrestrial ecosystems are not practical. Studying what is happening under the ocean requires a different approach. Ocean Acoustics uses sound to listen in to what’s happening and collect data that illuminates life in the ocean. Land ecologists study landscape, geology and weather. Ocean acousticians study soundscapes. This project makes visible the invisible world of sound in the sea. Lindsay created densely embroidered silk panels that help describe what researchers are discovering. The work illustrates the largest daily migration of zooplankton, the sound-enhancing SOFAR channel, phytoplankton and the dramatic vocalizations of marine life gathered by hydrophones. She drew inspiration from the work of the Swiss embroidery artist Lissy Funk and the elite artists of Mayan classical period with their profound and symbolic connection to water.
Lindsay’s artistic practice grows out of an intense curiosity about the ways our society is supported by science and technology. She has worked as Fermi National Accelerator’s first artist in residence, with the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago, the Field Museum and the Chicago Botanic Garden. Her current work grows out of a three-week research cruise with the RV Endeavor with scientists using acoustics to study the ocean soundscape. Her work is currently touring in Europe and the US and can be seen at many science outreach events. Lindsay teaches textiles at Columbia College Chicago.