Deepest hole on the planet [2013, Lotte Geeven, 6:11]

THE SOUND OF THE EARTH

For this project I travelled to the deepest open hole in the world to find out about it’s mysteries and to record the sound of the earth. Based on this travel I made a series of artworks. During the project I was an artist warmly welcomed on the territory of science by the GFZ with a question of an existential and poetic nature: ‘What does the earth sound like?’.

In order to record sound in the bore fluid that fills the borehole a normal microphone would not work so first sonic transducer data and later geophone recordings where translated into audio by software designed by the team for this specific purpose.

CREDITS

Rachid Abu-Hassan; visuals and acoustics Arup (an independent firm of designers, planners, engineers, consultants and technical specialists)

Mister Jochem Kück & all colleagues of the great GFZ (The object of research of the GFZ is the Earth System. They study the history of the earth and its characteristics, as well as the processes which occur on its surface and within is interior) KTB superdeep borehole (the deepest accessible hole on the planet) Miss Tramaine de Senna (research/production assistant) Miel Kühr, Professor Wybren Jan Buma UVA, Kleurgamma, Karina Pálosi, Gieneke Pieterse, Bas Hendrikx, Nienke Vijlbrief.

Production-team Tramaine de Senna, Frederique Jonker, Thera Clazing and Inez de Brauw.

Programming and electronics Jaap Vermaas ZB45 Makerspace.

Financers of the search for the sound of the earth and the exhibition Mondriaan Foundation and Amsterdam Fund for the Arts.

Followed by BBC Radio and documentary maker Fleur Amesz

Host P//////AKT