Sensing Ecologies

Sensing Ecologies is an immersive geo-located audio tour created for Bull Island, Dublin. Through a series of interviews and soundscapes, it explores environmental sensors, bio-indicators (plants and animals which act as sensors) and how this information might help in understanding or mitigating the effects of climate change. It examines how our environment is converging with technology, and how human anthropogenic activity is intentionally and unintentionally transforming our planet.

Sensing Ecologies includes the sonification of data collected from hydrology sensors on Bull Island and porpoise monitoring data from Dublin Bay. Recorded interviews with researchers from various fields, including botanists, zoologists, a hydrologist, an acoustic ecologist and a human geographer lead you through some of the geo-located soundscapes. This research examines environmental sensors, bio-indicators and human sensorium, and takes the form of voice-overs from the past (Darwin), interviews from the present and speculations on the future.

As you walk along the pier of Bull Island & enter the geo-located areas demarcated on the map, soundscapes and interviews become audible through headphones connected to your mobile device. The Sensing Ecologies app invites you to slow down, sense the weather, listen and take in the 360° view of sea, land and sky. Each interview or soundscape will play on a loop at its geo-location. Look down at your phone the next interview or soundscape will be identified as you move on to another marked location along the audio trail.

Sensing Ecologies was created by artist Fiona Mc Donald as part of http://anurgentenquiry.ie/ residency commission for Bull Island. An Urgent Enquiry is supported by Dublin City Council, Wexford County Council and Fingal County Council with funding from the Arts Council of Ireland. Thanks to National Parks & Wildlife Services (NPWS), Trinity College Dublin (TCD), The Irish Whale & Dolphin Group, CONNECT at TCD, The National Botanic Gardens of Ireland and The Royal Irish Academy (RIA) for their contributions.