How to look into the Ocean (Taking A Deep Breath), 2024, plywood, Arduino-controlled vacuum-pumps and lights.
Zooglider is an underwater robot created by Scripps Oceanography to study zooplankton in their natural habitat. It moves from the surface down to depths up to 400 meters, using a special camera to take images (“shadowgraphs”) of these translucent creatures. An acoustic system emits pulses of sound at different frequencies, helping detect organisms over a larger area.
Inspired by the aesthetics and fleeting nature of these shadowgraphs, Claudine Arendt began collaborating with Scripps scientists Mark Ohman and Sven Gastauer. Claudine used the acoustic “fingerprints” of key zooplankton groups to render three human-sized sculptures that bring attention to these often-overlooked but important creatures. Each sculpture represents how sound waves reflect off different types of zooplankton: a copepod, a euphausiid (krill), and a salp.
Dimly lit and puffing air in sync with the acoustic pulses of one Zooglider mission, these sculptures invite us into a hidden world. Claudine’s work sparks curiosity and encourages us to experience complex oceanographic data through multiple senses.
Special thanks to Vittoria Amalia Tenino for her expert advice and support during production, and to Shay Goldin for helping with the mechanics of the sculptures. Claudine Arendt was supported by Kultur | LX.”