Wow, writing when so many ideas are colliding at once makes it tricky to write something that flows, but here’s my take for this week!
Having never really written outside of school, it’s very cool to start getting a glimpse of the art of storytelling. I’m starting to realize that good stories involve choosing to highlight certain details while omitting others, exposing that we probably rarely have the full picture of what’s going on in the author’s mind.
But that’s also the fun part. We get to choose what we want people to feel or reflect on. And that brings me to the intention, or the “message” of this art project.
This project’s focus has already taken a major turn since I started brainstorming, and new ideas still emerge sometimes, but the two main themes that persist are sound and water. More specifically, the impact of underwater noise on marine life.
One of the reasons we tend not to think about this topic is that humans don’t hear particularly well underwater. As a very self-centred species (but of course, the most intelligent one - please hear my sarcasm), we tend to project our own experience onto other animals (including humans). Thanks to science, we now know some species use sound to “see” (isn’t it amazing?!). Thus, polluting their environment with cargo boat engines, airguns and sonar can be very disturbing, sometimes even deadly. An important factor is that sound propagates differently in water than in air, but more about this another time!
As much as I think shedding light on this issue is important (if we don’t know it’s a problem, we won’t try to find better alternatives or solutions), I’m always faced with the following dilemma: ok, thanks, I know about it, but now what? Most environmental and political issues feel outside our power. Underwater noise pollution is no exception, as few of us drive cargo boats or operate sonar for the US army. But as I’m writing this, I’m realizing that no matter the topic I could have chosen, my intention would have been similar: an invitation to connect to the reality of others (humans or not), put ourselves in their shoes (or fins), feel compassion for them, and realize that we are sharing this planet with other amazing beings who might suffer from our choices. This project might not act as a grand revolution and the immediate removal of noise pollution, but it will at least give me the sense that I’m part of the solution.
This brings me to an important aspect of my project: focusing on the beauty of water and nature, and the fascinating physics around sound. Because even though shedding light on problems is important, I believe that if we keep focusing on the harmful and sad things instead of the world we want to live in, we’re much more likely to create what we’re trying to avoid. So, even though my art installation will likely address the “bad and ugly”, I mainly want to focus on what makes water so special and nature so beautiful. ✨
On this positive note, I’ll leave you with the picture of a very happy dolphin! See you next week!
p.s. happy to be challenged or hear about your views/thoughts/feelings around this!
This week’s watercolor:
