Sea Songs

Sea Songs was an outdoor art and nature project sponsored by Shout Out Loud. It is part of ‘Wild Eye’, a programme led by Yorkshire Wildlife Trust and Invisible Dust in Scarborough and Whitby. In this project, students from Scarborough Sixth Form worked with leading sound artist, Rob Mackay. Together, we explored how creativity and conversations can help people from the local area, as well as new visitors, to engage with the natural environments surrounding these sites.

Many of us think of the underwater world as a silent and eerie place, but the Sea Songs project shows us that this is not the case. In fact, there’s actually much more to hear below the surface than you might expect!

During workshops delivered by Yorkshire Wildlife Trust and Invisible Dust in the summer of 2021, Scarborough Sixth Form students explored the wonders of this often unheard soundscape to create a series of sound artworks. These artworks create a walk from Scarborough Castle to a new sculpture planned for the Headland in 2022 (the sculpture is entitled ‘We Are Only Human’ and is being created by Ryan Gander). Together, we gained knowledge about the importance of conservation and the impact of climate change on marine life.

“[This project helped me to] realise how we as people are interfering with the wildlife, especially when we were near the harbour and we heard the boat engines were so loud hundreds of metres away.”

“I really like that we’re talking about climate change and the environment [in the workshop].”

“I wouldn’t have ever thought of doing anything like this.”

Scarborough Sixth Form Students involved in the project

After discovering more about environmental issues, we started to think about the role that art can play in helping us to understand these concerns. We learned about artistic and scientific approaches to gathering sounds as well as some of the practical techniques that are used to create sound compositions.

Using special underwater microphones, we captured the sounds of marine mammals, including dolphins, seals and snapping shrimp as well as the distant hum of boats and jet skis. For a few of us, this was the first time we had been on a boat and experienced wildlife like this up close!

“You should notice sounds more. I don’t usually think about what I hear as much, but the next time I come to the beach I’ll listen out for specific things like the waves and the traffic.”

“It’s the first time I’ve been on a boat, so I’ve not experienced [wildlife] while not being on land before.”

“That’s the first time I’ve seen dolphins”

Scarborough Sixth Form Students involved in the project

Using the software Audacity, the students used the marine sounds that they had recorded to create their own sound pieces.

The project culminated in a two-part audio walk, one in Scarborough and one in Whitby, when we showcased the soundscapes at a nature and art workshop at Scarborough Castle on 18th September. Forty-six other local young people attended this event.

The recordings were then launched on the Echo app at a celebration event at Scarborough Castle on Saturday 23rd October. This means that the audio walks are now part of onsite interpretation, and by downloading the app on your phone, you too will be able to immerse yourself into this marine world!

You can find out more about this exciting project, by watching the short documentary below.