OCEANIC MEMORY
Inspired by ecological systems and decolonial practices, Oceanic Memory is a sonic experience of collective active listening. Through marine sonic elements, this work navigates the histories and routes of colonial legacies, contemporary migrations, and the urgent environmental crises shaping our waters today. The saltwater space serves as the common thread in these intertwined narratives—an aquatic archive that holds the echoes of colonial histories while also revealing the pressing realities of climate change, biodiversity loss, and ocean degradation. European seas such as the Mediterranean and the North Sea, alongside the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, are not empty expanses but dynamic ecosystems, rich with stories, histories, relationships, and entanglements (Ndikung & Römhild, 2023). As we listen, we attune ourselves not only to human narratives but also to the voices of the ocean itself—its shifting rhythms, its fragile ecologies, and the ways in which it bears the weight of human impact. Similar stories and roots cross these waters, connecting past and present, human and non-human life, and the urgent need to rethink our relationship with the ocean.
︎Listen HERE
Oceanic Memory was a collective experiment in active listening held on May 27th in Civitella in the context of the art residency L'Aquila Reale, Licenza, Rome (IT).
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© L'Aquila Reale
Instructions for the action collective listening:
Mel: This collective active listening experience, Oceanic Memory, is an experiment in deep, shared listening. By "collective listening," I mean not only attuning our ears to the sound fragments we are exploring together but also fostering an awareness of the voices around us—the people near us in this moment, the ecosystems we are connected to, and the urgent stories the ocean is telling us.
This experiment is part of my research at the intersection of art and anthropology, shaped by the questions: Who do we listen to? and Who do we allow to be heard? Through this process, we reflect on how sound connects us to broader narratives of place, heritage, and ecological change.
This space invites us to share personal experiences tied to territory, cultural memory, and the impact of human presence on land and sea. It is also an opportunity to consider ethics in public art and how artistic practices can respond to environmental crises.
To begin, we will listen to an unfinished sound piece drawn from my recordings of oceans and seas—the Mediterranean, the Nordic seas, the Atlantic, and the Pacific. These waters carry layered histories of life, migration, and transformation, reflecting both resilience and loss. As we listen, let us remain open to the voices of the ocean, the shifting rhythms of climate change, and the fragile balance of biodiversity that sustains us all.
