Projet: Marbh Chrios (Dead Zone)
Résumé, version intégrale du texte en anglais uniquement

En 2008, le professeur Robert Diaz de l'Institut Océanographique de Virginie a montré que les "zones mortes" (celles où il y avait trop peu d'oxygène pour assurer une vie aquatique) augmentaient considérablement.
On estime qu'il existe 20 de ces "zones mortes" en Irlande dont l'une se trouve dans le Donegal.
Softday propose de travailler sur les données de ces zones en Irlande en collaboration avec trois types de partenaires : un groupe de musiciens de musique traditionnelle, Met Eireann (service de météorologie irlandais) et l'Institut Océanographique d'Irlande pour une création sonore.

16 octobre 2010, première de la performance "Marbh Chrios (Dead Zone)" (fichier PDF), in Mooney’s Boatyard, Killybegs, County Donegal

[english]

SOFTDAY (SEAN TAYLOR & MIKAEL FERNSTROM)
Marbh Chrios (Dead Zone)
Donegal Electoral Area
http://www.softday.ie

Project: Marbh Chrios (Dead Zone)
In 2008, Virginia Institute of Marine Science Professor Robert Diaz showed that the number of "dead zones"-areas of seafloor with too little oxygen for most marine life-had increased by a third between 1995 and 2007. Diaz and collaborator Rutger Rosenberg of the University of Gothenburg in Sweden found that dead zones are now "the key stressor on marine ecosystems" and "rank with over-fishing, habitat loss, and harmful algal blooms as global environmental problems." The study, which appeared in the August 15, 2008 issue of the journal Science, tallied 405 dead zones in coastal waters worldwide, affecting an area of 95,000 square miles, about the size of New Zealand.
It is currently estimated that there are 20 such 'dead zones' in Ireland and two were identified in the study at both Killybeg's Harbour (1999) and Donegal Bay (2000). Geologic evidence shows that dead zones are not a naturally recurring event in marine ecosystems; dead zones were once rare, now they are commonplace and increasing, which poses a serious threat to indigenous marine habitats and the human food chain. Softday proposes to examine the available data from the Irish dead zones and work collaboratively with three distinct partners, local traditional musicians from An Charraig/Amhainn a'Ghlinne (Cairdeas na bhFidiléirí) in Donegal, Met Éireann (the Irish Meteorological Service) and The Marine Institute of Ireland, to address the relationship of climate and culture to sound.

Biography: Since 1999, visual artist Sean Taylor and computer software designer Mikael Fernstrom (aka SOFTDAY) have collaborated on a number of high profile science/art projects. Both artists are interested in exploring 'the cracks' between various media such as expanded theatre, sound art, sculpture, music, dance and the application of new technologies.
In 2000 they presented a computer generated musical composition entitled Blian le Baisteach (A Year With Rain), with the Irish Chamber Orchestra. The project was constructed using rainfall data supplied by Met Éireann (The Irish Meteorological Agency) for the year 1999-2000. This rainfall data was converted into music using a series of specifically designed neural networks and algorithms, trained by a database of traditional Irish melodies and folk tunes. In 2002, they developed a collaborative project Coisir an Tsionann, with The Irish Chamber Orchestra, Daghdha Dance Company and the Berlin based choir 'Der Brullchor'. The composition used data from The Electricity Supply Board from the power station on the River Shannon at Ardnacrusha and salmon stocking information from the salmon hatcheries.

October 16th 2010, premiere of "Marbh Chrios (Dead Zone)" performance (PDF file), in Mooney’s Boatyard, Killybegs, County Donegal