“Although the cause of death is unknown, the mammal’s stomach contained more than 100 plastic cups, 4 plastic bottles, 2 sandals and a sack containing more than 1,000 pieces of string.” (ftom a media report about a dead beached whale)
This composition is a comment on the plight of the whale, from plastic pollution to the horrors of whaling.
Much of the piece is pulsated to recognise the sonar codas (clicks) and creaks that sperm whales communicate with and in some movements (mvt.4) the pulses of blue whales and fin whales. The fixed media in Mvt III has absolutely no electroacoustic transformations and is entirely made up of sperm whale clicks and humpback whale sing songs. The rest of the fixed media is entirely made of sounds from a plastic water bottle and two large plastic milk bottles, both found in a bin.
I would like to thank the amazing whales in the world — namely blue whales, fin whales, sperm whales and humpback whales, whose mating calls, codas and creaks I used. I’d like to thank James Nestor, Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute and Darewin, and The Ocean Alliance and Roger Payne for providing me with the excellent recordings that were used in this composition.
1 [https://whale.org/](https://whale.org/%22%20%5Ct%20%22_blank)
2 [https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20181121_41/]
(https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20181121_41/%22%20%5Ct%20%22_blank)
