photo credit: jade holford
The Lonely Whale was an interactive installation designed for the 2018 Art Shanty Projects. This installation was based on a true story: Scientists have recorded whale calls from a single lonely whale in the Pacific Ocean for over two decades now. It sings at 52-hertz - a frequency higher than any other whale song and one that, researchers believe, cannot be heard by its fellow ocean travelers. Participants were asked to listen to a sound piece while they were guided to write a letter. They were asked to reflect on what they would say to someone if they knew their message would never reach them. Once participants wrote their letters, they deposited them into one of 70 bottles hanging within the installation. Over the course of a month, the bottles became a colorful display of thousands of letters.

film credit: jon reynolds

photo credit: jade holford

photo credit: jade holford

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