Think for a moment about what you hear when you dive underwater in the sea: where we barely perceive anything, other species are constantly sending and receiving messages. It is precisely on the importance of these underwater sounds that the great immersive and free exhibition that has just opened its doors at the Espacio Fundación Telefónica (Calle de Fuencarral, 3) is focused: Echoes of the Ocean.
Not in vain, the centerpiece of the exhibition is SeeingEchoes in the Mind of the Whale, a large immersive audiovisual installation of twelve screens that shows how cetaceans perceive reality through the sense of hearing.
Echoes of the Ocean was born, on the one hand, as the result of a collaboration between the art of the British collective Marshmallow Laser Feast and the scientific research of the Bioacoustic Applications Laboratory of the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya. And, on the other hand, as a response to a concern about climate change and how human action damages marine ecosystems.
What is Echoes of the Ocean like?
Empathy is one of the fundamental emotions with which this exhibition wants to connect us, and that is why the tour begins with a Meditation Room in which the sounds and vibrations of bottlenose dolphins, humpback whales, sperm whales and gray whales guide visitors. A way to become aware that we are part of something shared.
The experience continues with the great centerpiece we mentioned at the beginning of this article, which combines images made with artificial intelligence with “real sound recordings of marine species collected in different parts of the planet,” explained Fundación Telefónica.
Visitors will also find a sculptural, sound and light installation made from hundreds of pieces of blown glass. Under the title Temple of plankton, recreates the vertical migration of the myriad of tiny organisms that compose it.
The last two rooms of the exhibition are dedicated to the tools and scientific knowledge that has been generated over the years around bioacoustics.
Practical information for the visit
Admission to the exhibition, which can be visited until September 7, 2025 on the 4th floor of the building, is completely free.
Visiting hours are as follows:
- Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday: 10 am to 8 pm.
- Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays: from 11am to 8pm.