2022
In her 2022 doctoral thesis, Francisca Santos Silva Rocha Gonçalves explores how sound art can connect humans to the often-overlooked underwater environment to raise awareness about anthropogenic noise pollution.
CORE
Submitted to the University of Porto (Faculdade de Engenharia) through the Digital Media program, the work bridges biological sciences and digital media to develop "metaperceptual" strategies for environmental literacy.
Bard College Berlin
The dissertation addresses a lack of public discourse regarding the vibrational and acoustic aspects of underwater ecosystems.
Repositório Aberto da Universidade do Porto
The research combines field recordings of underwater soundscapes with the creation of six practice-based artworks.
Following the tradition of R. Murray Schafer, Gonçalves uses concepts like biophony (animal sounds), geophony (natural sounds), and anthrophony (human noise) to categorize aquatic environments.
The thesis employs strategies such as "place attachment" and "emotional affinity" to help audiences bond with fragile marine environments.
Repositório Aberto da Universidade do Porto
While Max Neuhaus is a central historical figure in her field, his role in this context serves as a point of departure for contemporary "ecoacoustic" art:
Pioneer of Underwater Listening: Neuhaus’s Water Whistle series (1971–1974) is a primary reference for using swimming pools as a "lab" to explore the physical and material properties of subaqueous sound.