Humanature Relationships During the Anthropause (2023)

Humanature Relationships During the Anthropause was an immersive installation exploring whale communication and human impact on the ocean soundscape. Developed during a residency at the B2 Center for Media, Art, and Performance, the project was a collaboration between artists and CMCI alumni Roberto Azaretto, Joanne Marras Tate, Brad Gallagher, and Steven Frost.

Inspired by Joanne Marras Tate’s dissertation research, the installation invited audiences to consider how human-made sound affects whales, and how the global slowdown during the COVID-19 pandemic, known as the Anthropause, created new conditions for studying whale communication in quieter oceans.

The installation featured a 270-degree video environment, projection mapping, and motion capture, creating an immersive audiovisual experience. Visitor movement shaped both sound and image in real time, mirroring and abstracting the impact of human activity on marine ecosystems.

A complementary reading room extended the experience, offering access to whale recordings, materials from CU’s Natural History Museum, and resources addressing the environmental consequences of underwater noise pollution.

Humanature Relationships During the Anthropause was presented at the ATLAS B2 Center at the University of Colorado Boulder in September 2023. The project was supported by the B2 Center staff and funded by the College of Media, Communication, and Information, the ATLAS Institute, NEST Studio for the Arts, and the Media Archaeology Lab.