"Soundings: The Latent Sea" is a project that, perhaps for the first time in the world, effectively incorporates "soundscape design" into the waterfront redevelopment. The project presents a field to experience the sea both visually and auditorily. It consists of two components, "Wave Wave Wave" and "Umi-Tsukushi (Sea Cat-tail)".

"Wave Wave Wave": sound enclosure The work allows the visitor to freely define his/her bodily relation to the sound of the ocean.

"Umi-tsukushi (Sea Cat-tail)": sound orienteering The work is also a field of devices to wander through. It affords the visitor to pause; to crouch; to get close and to concentrate on the sound of the sea; thus to sharpen his/her hearing sense.

These "Sea Stethoscopes" transmit the sound of tidal waves from beneath the wharf to the promenade above. Shaped like a horn and found in various positions, they create a field for "sound orienteering"; the visitors are induced to ponder about the level of the tide through the sound they encounter, they adjust their bodily positions in relation to the apparatus ...

10 variations of the "Umi-Tsukushi" sound device, catering for various body heights and postures

At night, each device is lit up to brighten and to dim, reacting real-time to the wave sound. It looks like a luminous organism that moves with the natural rhythm of the waves, synchronizing the light with the sound.

Soft variations of light and shadow play across the swelling surface, when lit at night from within. The moving shadow of visitor listening to the soundscape in the pale lighting constitutes an important element of the ever changing luminous landscape.

"Wave Wave Wave" redefinds the visitor's perception of his/her own body and senses.

Lying on it facing the sky obscures one's sense of distance. The space between the sound below/behind and its actual source compresses and the waves draw closer. The visitor realises that the encounter with the environment is only afforded through a holistic experience where various sense organs remain no longer autonomous/absolute.

This giant bench, roughly 6-8 m wide and 76 m long, sits directly above the water at the end of a wharf protruding into the sea. The wave sound rises through its undurating and swelling surface of expanded metal screening. It surrounds the visitor from multiple directions, changing inquality as he/she sits, reclines, lies or walks along it.

Project Site: Wharf No. 2, Onahama Port, Fukushima Prefecture

>> Material: "Soundings: The Latent Sea"(PDF|5.1MB)