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The River is a first-of-its-kind exhibition for London’s Natural History Museum, with acclaimed Norwegian artist Jana Winderen using sound to explore the world below the surface of the River Thames
Tom Anstey | Planet Attractions | 09 Jul 2024
Jana Winderen recording on the River Thames Credit: Natural History Museum
London’s Natural History Museum has announced the debut of a new audio art installation, with Jana Winderen’s ‘The River’ set to open to the public on July 26.
A Norwegian sound artist, Jana Winderen’s creation - a work made in collaboration with spatial audio expert Tony Myatt - is the third exhibition from the museum’s free contemporary art programme.
Aiming to “plunge museumgoers and art lovers into an immersive encounter”, audio recorded in the depths of the River Thames is a first-of-its-kind installation for NHM.
Upon entering the exhibition’s deliberately dimly lit gallery, visitors can give over their senses to the sound world of the Thames. The work has been composed specifically for the Museum’s Jerwood Gallery and will be presented close to the river itself.
Using specialist underwater hydrophones, the installation will be presented with high-order ambisonic spatial sound reproduction.
“When I lower the hydrophones into the river, another sound-world appears: stridulating underwater insects, ticking of plant photosynthesis, grunts from fish and sounds from mammals, including us,” said Winderen.
“We dominate the soundscape during the daytime, but when you listen carefully, when most people are sleeping, or in areas less populated by humans, you can enter this exciting world of underwater sound.”
NHM’s Art Programme forms part of Fixing Our Broken Planet, a global initiative of events, exhibitions and online resources spearheaded by the museum that explores how scientists are finding solutions to the planetary emergency for nature from nature.
“Art is a vital medium through which we can convey powerful messages about our relationship with the natural world,” said Alex Burch, director of Public Programmes at NHM.
“Jana has composed a poignant merging of art and science through The River which invites us not only to engage with an underwater environment most of us are unfamiliar with but to consider just how much human activity has affected this vital habitat.”
The River will be free for all visitors to the Natural History Museum and will run from 26 July 2024.
Museums and galleries
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