The Antarctic is unlike any other place on earth: geographically, politically, and culturally. It is an extreme environment that holds some of the most unique species, but it is also an ecosystem undergoing rapid change. 2007/2008 marked the fourth International Polar Year, the largest and most ambitious international effort to investigate the impact of the poles on the global environment. The Sonic Antarctica project—a radio broadcast, live performance, and sound and visual installation featuring recordings of the Antarctic soundscape—was conducted during Andrea Polli's seven-week National Science Foundation residency in Antarctica during the 2007/2008 season.
Taylor Glacier
Tyler Glacier is located in the Dry Valleys (77°30'S 163°00'E) on the shore of
McMurdo Sound, 3500 km due south of New Zealand, the driest and largest
relatively ice-free area
on the continent completely devoid of terrestrial vegetation.
Ice Core Sampling
Climate scientist Matt Hoffman shows an ice core sample taken on Taylor Glacier.
Climate researcher Matt Hoffman and the sounds of the Taylor Glacier Meteorological Station:
Ice Core Sample Hole
The alluring blue of the ice core sample taken at Taylor Glacier.
A Wide Expanse
Taylor Glacier provides a broad base for ice and atmospheric sampling and other research on changing climate.
Andrea Polli and researchers walking on Taylor Glacier:
Taylor Glacier Met Station
Andrea Polli and scientists flew into the Taylor Glacier meteorological station via helicopter.
Taylor Glacier Geology
Stunning geologic formations adjacent to and caused by the glacier.
Taylor Glacier Met Station
Weather and climate instrumentation on the Taylor Glacier is critical for global climate studies.
Researchers count down and discuss the launch of an atmospheric gauge to observe the troposphere and transmit data:
Workshop Participants
Workshop participants with Andrea Polli (center) before their journey through Antarctic research facilities and into the landscape.
Facilities Acoustics
Workshop participants record a heating unit, all part of the acoustic ecology of Antarctic research.
Exhibitions
Sonic Antarctica features natural and industrial field recordings, sonifications and audifications of science data, and interviews with weather and climate scientists including Nobel Prize-winning Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change scientist Dr. Andreas Fischlin. The areas recorded include the geographic South Pole (90°00'S), the center of a featureless flat white expanse, and on top of ice nearly nine miles thick.
Andrea Polli: Sonic Antarctica 2008
Sonic Antarctica exhibition in Geneva, Switzerland.
Antarctica Images
Sonic Antarctica exhibition in Geneva, Switzerland.
Topography and Measurement
Sonic Antarctica exhibition in Copenhagen, Denmark.
Projected Landscapes
Sonic Antarctica exhibition in Berlin, Germany, for Transmediale 2009.
A View toward Climate Research
Sonic Antarctica exhibition in Berlin, Germany, for Transmediale 2009.
Walls of Antarctica
Sonic Antarctica exhibition in Manchester, England, for the Future Everything Festival.
Multimedia Tent Entrance
Sonic Antarctica exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Photography in Paris, France.
Multimedia Tent
Sonic Antarctica exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Photography in Paris, France.
Met Station Stand with Videos
Sonic Antarctica exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Photography in Paris, France.
Met Station Video Detail
Sonic Antarctica exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Photography in Paris, France.
Multimedia Tent
Sonic Antarctica exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Photography in Paris, France.
Considering Sonic Antarctica
Sonic Antarctica exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Photography in Paris, France.
