See Signals Sea Noise (@seesignals) is an innovative initiative that captures underwater soundscapes off the coasts of Spitsbergen and Helgoland using hydrophones.

These recordings encompass both the natural marine environment and the operational sounds of scientific instruments, creating a unique blend of oceanic and technological noises. 

Over a decade, the project has amassed 50,000 hours of audio, now accessible through the Computer Signals Archive. This archive now invites artists & enthusiasts to explore and contribute to engage with the material, creating music, installations, and sound experiments.

Swiss musicians Ben Kaczor, Dianita, Lb Honne and Hatarii, are collaborating to develop innovative formats that bring these underwater sounds to life.

See Signals Sea Noise plans to host workshops, live performances, and interactive exhibits over the next 1-2 years, aiming to inspire installations, sound experiments, club nights, and music releases derived from the underwater audio landscape.

With its unique blend of scientific rigor and artistic curiosity, the archive invites a fresh reflection on the materiality of the digital and the infrastructural realities of climate research. It’s a project that not only listens to the sea but also amplifies the act of listening itself, turning it into an art form.

The Computer Signals Archive, developed by sound artist Valentina Vuksic and operated by Birk Weiberg & Christoph Stähli is funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation and hosted by Zurich University of the Arts.

INFO: https://inverted-audio.com/see-signals-sea-noise-ben-kaczor-lb-honne-dianita-hatarii/

See Signals Sea Noise

Live performance imagined and performed by Sarah Vogel / curated by See Signals Sea Noise project team in collaboration with ZhdK / hosted at the Musée Cantonal des Beaux Arts de Lausanne, January 9th 2025.
All virtual instruments patches used in this performance were built with the use of See Signals archive sounds.
Please visit https://seesignals.art/ for more info and explore the amazing archive!
Special thanks to Ben Kaczor and Roland Fischer.

Live at MCBA

See Signals, Sea Noise : live at MCBA Lausanne

Welcome to the see signals sea noise podcast, an outreach program within the framework of the long-running artistic research project Computer Signals by Hannes Rickli (with Valentina Vuksic, Birk Weiberg and Christoph Stähli). This project includes a vast archive, which results from the interest in observing form an artistic perspective how biologists conduct their climate impact research.

Dive into discussions about the project's diverse stages, the people involved and its extensive audio archive, featuring over 50,000 hours of underwater recordings –  now open for experiments!

In this episode, we held a conversation with dianita, an artist and multi-instrumentalist from Vevey based in Bern, Switzerland. dianita was invited to explore and interpret the recorings form the Computer Signals Audio Archive, which then resulted in a live performance. We spoke about her experience working with the archive, her artistic practice, and finding voices in the noise.

see signals sea noise podcast 1 w / diantia: Finding the voices in the noise

Welcome to the see signals sea noise podcast, an outreach program within the framework of the long-running artistic research project Computer Signals by Hannes Rickli (with Valentina Vuksic, Birk Weiberg and Christoph Stähli). This project includes a vast archive, which results from the interest in observing form an artistic perspective how biologists conduct their climate impact research.

Dive into discussions about the project's diverse stages, the people involved and its extensive audio archive, featuring over 50,000 hours of underwater recordings –  now open for experiments!

In this episode,  we spoke with Lb Honne, the Zurich-based artist, producer and co-founder of the labels Project Indigo and St.Odes. Our conversation touched on his work with the Computer Signals Audio Archive, where he developed a personal system of accessibility in response to the vast amount of recordings. We also discussed how, throughout his work with the archive, he implemented a new approach to his artistic practice, and to his methods of sampling and sound manipulation.

see signals sea noise podcast 3 w / Lb Honne: on signals and symbolic connections

READ > https://inverted-audio.com/see-signals-sea-noise-cassette-dianita
CASSETTE > https://inverted-audio.store/products/see-signals-sea-noise-dianita-live-s-p-a-15-june-2024

Limited-edition cassette produced in collaboration with Inverted Audio and Zurich University of the Arts. It features a 47-minute live recording by Swiss sound artist @didianita, drawn from the Computer Signals Archive - an extraordinary collection of over 50,000 hours of underwater recordings captured since 2012 off the coasts of Spitsbergen and Helgoland as part of a long-term climate research project.

Initiated by Swiss visual artist Hannes Rickli and sound artist Valentina Vuksic, the archive documents not only the ambient hum of the ocean but also the inner workings of the observatory itself - from the power draw of instruments to shifting electromagnetic fields - creating a unique blend of marine soundscapes and machine noise. Freely accessible under a Creative Commons license, See signals sea noise has become a fertile ground for artistic exploration.

Musicians including Ben Kaczor, Dianita, Lb Honne, and Hatarii are reimagining this material through performances, installations, and workshops. A standout is Dianita’s live set, recorded during Art Basel in the courtyard of urban winery S.P.A., now presented in full on this cassette.

Marking the first physical artefact of the project’s next phase, @seesignals opens the door to curated events, club nights, interactive exhibits, and special commissions, bridging scientific rigour with artistic imagination and inviting audiences to listen differently - to the sea, to machines, and to the act of listening itself. See signals sea noise is supported by the Swiss National Science Foundation and the Ernst Göhner Foundation.

Music by dianita
Photo by Philipp Fischer / AWI
Design & Layout by Tom Durston
Commissioned by seesignals.art
Produced by inverted-audio.com