Audio Tableaus
OCEAN.WORLD.
MODULES
Atmosphere, biosphere, global interconnectedness, ecological and economic exchange - the world of today could only come into being through and via the oceans and their appropriation by humans. The audio tableaus OCEAN.WORLD.MODULES explore the oceans as political, economic, philosophical and poetic spaces. They follow the natural ocean currents as well as the data streams of the trade routes, the beauty as well as the vulnerability of the oceans.
The focus of this spatial audio experience is on immersion an the artistic fusion of natural and electronic sounds, which visitors can experience in a binaural audio mix via headphones. They are immersed in electroaccoustic sound worlds that chronicle man's relationship to the oceans and raise questions about globalization, communication, colonization and climate change. The result is an "Ocean of Sound" that aesthetically reflects the tense relationship between ocean and man, making it tangible to the senses with a 3D audio staging.
OCEAN.WORLD.MODULES is produced in cooperation with Deutschlandfunk and NDR. A more narrative radio play version in stereo called OCEAN WORLDS will be aired in the radio art programmes of these stations.
Making of
Behind the scenes
World premiere
OCEAN.WORLD.
MODULES premiered at Alte Münze, Berlin
OCEAN.WORLD.MODULES celebrated world premiere on 06.05.2022 in Berlin: As part of the exhibition Seaphony, which lets you experience the depth and vastness of the ocean, its immense soundscape through spatial sound, light and imagination in the Alte Münze in Berlin Mitte.
In 12 binaurally designed audio tracks, wittmann/zeitblom shed light on the taming of the oceans by man. Oscillating between sounds of nature and art, visitors drift through electroacoustic sound worlds, traversing not only oceans but also space and time.
At the world premiere in Berlin, numerous visitors to Seaphony and OCEAN.WORLD.MODULES were able to experience previously unheard-of sensual and cultural-social aspects of the oceans. The installations in the Alte Münze were presented, among others, in heute journal (from min. 23:36) feature "The Sound of the Ocean" and in arte journal.
For the staging of the audio installation in the Alte Münze Berlin, the artist Isabel Ott developed Funky Seats, seating objects made of recycled materials such as PET bottles. In the exhibition, they serve as seating for visitors who want to listen to the audio tracks. But they are also thought-provoking, demand attention and encourage imagination. They surprise with their functinality and remind us of the dark sides of the Anthropocene.
Cast & Credits
Artists and team
Since 2010, director Christian Wittmann and composer Georg Zeitblom have been working as a duo on audio projects ranging from features to experimental music collages, audio walks and radio operas for WDR, DLF, SWR, BR, NDR and other partners in the fields of media and culture. They have received numerous awards for their sound-intensive state-of-the-art productions.
Concept, text, director & composition: wittmann/zeitblom
Field Recordings: Chris Watson
Idea: Ina Krüger
Executive Producer: Diana Schniedermeier
Voice: Alice Dwyer, Leslie Malton, Trystan Pütter, Christian Wittmann
Song: Maria Goja, Christian Wittmann
Piano / organ: Maria Goja
Bass / electronic: zeitblom
Binaural mix: Boris Wilsdorf @andereBaustelle, recording studio Berlin
Produced by OCEANS21 in cooperation with Deutschlandfunk Kultur and Norddeutscher Rundfunk.
Images: members of the team during production; photos by Michael Krautter
