A series of ten podcasts that playfully explores how nonhumans could like our planet to be.
Dear Interspecies Collaborators,
We are writing as constituents of the Ocean and as amphibious dwellers of the tidal zones to express our concerns. Humanity is so destructive to our shared living spaces that they sense an urge to preserve and restore them. In doing so, we might also foster the notion of “nature” as an overall balanced and content entity, perpetuating humanity’s belief in a paradisal primal state—that is, until they messed things up.
Many of us are affected by severe changes to our habitat, and we ask for your attention. We are writing to you to inform you about our plans to establish an Ocean Nation. This body of many working as one would aim to create an interspecies collaboration with federal, provincial, and territorial governments, as well as non-governmental organizations, and hail a water-resistant flag to align for a future where everyone cares for the Ocean and its needs.
Ocean Wants, a series of podcasts commissioned by TBA21–Academy, playfully, speculatively, and provocatively explores how we would like our planet to be. In each episode, writer Ingo Niermann meets with an expert from a different field to ask: What would a given species come up with if it could be as dominant as humans have been? What if fish, whales, octopuses, jellyfish, corals, algae, or extremophiles claimed to rule the world? What is their ideal environment and which role could human myths, habits, and technologies play in satisfying their needs?
Ocean Wants confronts humanity with creatures that speculatively mirror its hubris. All are inhabitants of the sea—the vast, most neglected and alien part of our planet. It is here where humanity is meant to overcome its superiority complex.
Now is the time to put imaginative words into sensitive action. Your willingness to join us in listening will demonstrate your interest in fostering an Ocean Nation and in taking together the vital first dive toward a situated strategy. The sooner our songs are heard, the sooner we might begin to see improvements for pods, schools, and reef cooperatives.
Thank you for your commitment. We look forward to receiving a response from you.
Sincerely,
Ocean Nation in formation
Ocean Wants episode releases (October 5–November 5, 2021)
#1: Coral Renaissance, feat. Marah J. Hardt
#2: Self-Conscious Fish, feat. Alex Jordan
#3: Rise of Slime, feat. Lisa-Ann Gershwin
#4: Cephalopods on Land, feat. Danna Staaf
#5: Translating Whales, feat. David Gruber
#6: Conservation Libido, feat. Eva Hayward
#7: Canceled Ice Age, feat. William Ruddiman
#8: Pain-Free Sea, feat. David Pearce
#9: Deep Frontier, feat. Diva Amon
#10: Ocean Nation, feat. Markus Reymann
Conceived and hosted by Ingo Niermann
Music composed and arranged by Ville Haimala
Intro read by Joan Jonas
Credits read by Staci Bu Shea
Sound edited by Robin Michel
Produced by Ingo Niermann and María Montero Sierra
You can hear the podcasts on Ocean-Archive.org, SoundCloud, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify.
TBA21–Academy is a contemporary art organization and cultural ecosystem fostering a deeper relationship to the Ocean through the lens of art to inspire care and action. For a decade, we have been an incubator for collaborative research, artistic production, and new forms of knowledge by combining art and science, resulting in exhibitions, research, and policy interventions. Established in 2011, the nonprofit’s program is informed by a belief in the power of exchange between disciplines and in the ability of the arts as a vessel for communication, change, and action.
