"within these sounds we sent our boats"
Here, we can begin to physically see how we can explore the ocean through sound. By opening our ears at the surface of the water, as opposed to our eyes, we are welcomed into a world of rich detail about surroundings that we may not be able to see. In the work, users toggle different sounds on and off in order to discover more about the sea. In turning all the sounds on, readers are met with a overwhelming mixture of sounds, which is confusing and difficult to draw meaning from, further emphasizing a lack of clarity in our understanding of the ocean. However, in isolating each sound individually, users can learn from the pitch, tone, and breaks between sounds. Vivid noises of wildlife allow us to understand than beneath the darkness of the ocean at its surface, that it is an environment filled with life. A lightbulb falling overboard allows us to hear echoes and develop a perception of depth along with the repetition of noise. When we combine all these details together, we can begin to develop of physical landscape.
Of course, as a result of the interactivity of this portion, the physical landscape users develop will vary from person to person. According to Mark Meadows, interactivity depends on communication between an author and a reader, in which readers can make decisions within the context of some medium (37, 38). In being able to make these sorts of decisions, Meadows explains that "the roles of the reader and writer get blurry" (26). This concept is demonstrated by the sounds in Etheric Ocean, as different combinations, or explorations of sound can produce vastly different understandings of the ocean. For example, if a user only chooses to listen to one of the available sounds, their understanding would be significantly different from another user who listened to 3 of the sounds individually and then in parallel.
Click here for more discussion of play and interactivity in regard to Walks From City Bus Routes.
As a result, we can see that an exploration, or interaction with sound can help to develop a unique visualization of what the ocean is like. Thus, sound can act as a device that allows us to not explore physical space, but develop a personalized understanding of a particular space.