Invocation, CA, 2023

For Invocation, CA 2023 I separately recorded my California-based friends and acquaintances vocalizing what they imagine the ocean sounds like. These recordings were layered into a single sound piece that presents a California-specific collective invocation of the sea, as filtered through the consciousnesses and voices of people living in the region.

A print of Learning to Listen was gifted in thanks to the people who lent their voices to Invocation CA, 2023. The risograph depicts the inside of a Red Abalone Shell underwater. This large marine snail is an iconic Northern California kelp ecosystem species. Red Abalone populations have experienced dramatic population decreases due to overfishing and warming oceans linked to climate change.

Voice credits: Samer Araabi, Zack Bodinger, Amy Chang, Ben Cook, Jillian Crochet, Michel Dedeo, Katy Dion, Anna Gunderson, Irene Gutierrez, Katie Hatch, Aaron Hebert, Johanna Hoffman, Karuna Kiffa Holm, Amanda Hughen, Wiley Kestner, Katie Lackler, Tom Lent, Becca Lewis, Joe Mega, Christine Nguyen, Greg Niemeyer, Christopher Nickel, Freya Nickel, Mari Nomura, Michelle Ott, Rachelle Reichert, Lila Rubenstein, Kate Sim, Elizabeth Sims, Anna Thanukos, Cosima Wilkening, Magda Wilkening, Angela Willets, Matt Zeneca, and Minoosh Zomorodinia.