Exhibition explores sounds found beneath Manx seas
An exhibition showcasing the sounds of the "extraordinarily rich environment" beneath the surface of the surrounding sea has opened at the Manx Museum.
Hear Us: Sounds of the Sea brought together artists, musicians, researchers, and members of the public to gather underwater recordings.
University lecturers Alan Dunn and Helen Tookey, who led the project, said it aimed to help people "develop a deeper appreciation for the island's diverse marine life".
Inspired by the short stories of Wirral-born writer Malcolm Lowry on ocean pollution from the 1950s, the exhibition is on until 30 March.
Named after the Manx fishermen's hymn Hear Us O Lord From Heaven Thy Dwelling Place, the project features immersive audio, video, and graphics collected from across the island.
'Heightened awareness'
A network of artists, students, musicians, a former captain of an oil tanker, poets and a sound recordist made a series of trips to the island starting in 2021.
The sounds, including the calls of pistol shrimp and limpets, were recorded underwater at areas across the island including at Niarbyl and Port Erin in a series of trips starting in 2021.
Project leaders Dr Dunn, of Leeds Beckett University, and Dr Tookey, of Liverpool John Moores University, said Lowrey had visited the island on family holidays as a boy, and had used it as "a symbol of the natural world, and of ways of living that are more in harmony with the natural environment" in his stories.
"We thought it would be interesting to use his ideas as a springboard," they said.
"By tuning in to the sounds beneath the surface, we can develop a deeper appreciation for the island's diverse marine life and gain a heightened awareness of the human-made noise pollution that threatens its delicate ecosystem."
The research was funded by two grants from the UK's Arts and Humanities Research Council.
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