In Sound of the North Sea a piece of music, composed using data measured in the North Sea, can be heard in the waters of that same sea. The aquarium is filled with North Sea water and an underwater speaker is placed at the bottom, transforming the aquarium into a conductor of sound waves. The installation is experienced by submerging ones head, thus transforming the audience from a passive onlooker into an active performer. The act of kneeling before the basin, focussing on the breath, and diving into the water, has a ritualistic quality imbuing the installation with spirituality. The experience underwater is a tranquil one. Water, being an excellent conductor of sound, creates an auditive experience in which the music seems to be omnipresent. The sound does not have a clear source or direction. You are inside of it. At the same time the environment is inhospitable. It asks a sacrifice to be able to hear the music. And because water is not our domain, there will always be aspects of the installation that escape our human perception.
