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Project/Program <br />Summary <br />Building upon a similar project I recently completed at a residency in <br />Lithuania, I propose to create a site-specific sound installation that focuses <br />on the underwater environment off the NC inner and outer banks. This <br />immersive installation will include a soundscape crafted from audio <br />recordings gathered by local bioacoustics researchers, and a series of 2-4 <br />paintings depicting spectrograms of the sounds used. <br />The purpose of this installation is to raise awareness about the detrimental <br />effects of human-generated noise pollution on marine life using real <br />recordings collected by bioacoustic scientists. <br />In addition to the visceral impact of the audio-visual and painting portion of <br />the installation, which will be free and open to the public, the exhibition will <br />incorporate educational diagrams that highlight the findings of the <br />bioacoustic conservation researchers I work with, aiming to inform visitors <br />about the importance of preserving marine acoustic habitats and the <br />implications of sonic pollution on whale populations. The immersive portion <br />of the installation will employ the recordings of anthropogenic noise <br />pollution collected by bioacoustic conservation labs on the East Coast of <br />NC. The audio installation will be accompanied by analogous light <br />projections to exemplify the distress it causes for animals that rely on <br />sound as their primary sense. The noise level and corresponding visual <br />translation will be explained in infographics to help the public understand <br />the degree of critical imposition and loss of quality of life it causes in <br />marine ecosystems. The goal of displaying these components together is <br />to provide a strong emotional and empathetic context for the public to <br />absorb this information about their local marine ecosystems. Statistics <br />alone have not been impactful enough to encourage critical engagement <br />with environmental policymakers, but I believe inviting the public into an <br />immersive space to drop their anthropogenic defenses and experience a <br />deeper emotional connection to their local marine environments will create <br />a true investment in change. <br />Community Impact The aim of this installation is to raise public awareness of our impact on <br />noise levels in local marine ecosystems throughout the East Coast of the <br />United States and the Baltic Coastline of Lithuania, highlighting ways local <br />communities and enterprises can reduce noise pollution and shipping <br />traffic. A larger-scale goal of this project would be to engage corporations <br />that contribute large amounts of noise pollution in these locations in a <br />conversation about how they can begin to reduce the level of their sonic <br />disruption on the environments they rely on for profit. The installations will <br />include links to civic engagement efforts and conservation initiatives, <br />encouraging an open dialogue with local officials and policymakers. This <br />installation and the public engagement it encourages will provide the <br />momentum that is necessary for the establishment of noise pollution <br />regulations for local harbors along the East Coast of the Atlantic and the <br />Lithuanian Baltic Coast beginning with Klaipeda Harbor and the NC Outer <br />Banks. <br />Docusign Envelope ID: 763694D9-0796-4D3B-8A28-EAD28937153E