Founded by Val and Scott Veirs in 2002, Orcasound is an experiment in sharing real-time underwater sound. A growing coalition of scientists, educators, and citizens are working together to expand a regional hydrophone network in the Salish Sea situated at the borders of the United States and Canada. The goals are to monitor the critical habitat of endangered Southern resident killer whales (Orcinus Orca) to detect orca sounds and measure noise levels. Live-streams recorded by hydrophones are public and free to listen to on Orcasound's website, so anybody having internet connection can listen to them anywhere in the world. In my diploma project, I designed a new visual identity for this fantastic organization and made a suggestion for a new website concept of theirs.
My concept of the new Orcasound identity is based on the fact that vocalization lies at the core of orca communication and social awareness. Each orca pod has its own collection of calls which can be referred to as its 'dialect'. Orca dialects have been studied by scientists from the 70's, culminating in an expanding collection of call-catalogues. During the design process, I created a kind of vocal typography, a collection of visual signs based on stereotyped orca calls.
It was an important goal of mine to address a wider audience beyond current users with the help of the new visual identity and brand communication, and to raise awareness of local and global problems of the orcas and ocean fauna.
Institute: Krea Kortárs Művészeti Iskola
Diploma consultant: László Herbszt
Science assistance: Scott Veirs and the Center for Whale Research, WA, USA and Orcalab, BC, Canada
Orcasound can make you hear amazing live or recorded performances by orcas or humpback whales, like this
©Orcasound.net
Southern Resident Call 01 ©Orcasound.net and Dr John K. B. Ford
Southern Resident Call 16 ©Orcasound.net and Dr John K. B. Ford
Southern Resident Call 19 ©Orcasound.net and Dr John K. B. Ford
©Orcasound.net
©Orcasound.net
Complex Southern Resident calls and train of clicks at Lime Kiln Lighthouse ©Orcasound.net
R.I.P.
Since the publication of my diploma project, the Southern Resident killer whales have lost four of their members – Skagit (K13), Sonic (J52), Crewser (L92) and Scarlet (J50) –, and so there's only 74 animals of this orca clan left.
