The Relict Project

Gabby and Ana at Beinn Eighe (Picture by Tuuli Meriläinen)

What is Acoustic Ecology?

This year, Black Goblin is embarking on a research and development project titled “Relict”. Before we can really talk about the Relict project however, it’s important to understand what acoustic ecology is. Otherwise known as ecoacoustics or soundscape studies, acoustic ecology involves analyzing the sounds of a natural environment in order to better understand its relationship with humans, and the effects one has on the other. Just like humans can communicate with one another through sound - the friendly tone of our voice when greeting someone, or a loud yell when we need to be heard - the environment also relies on sound waves for communication, such as the vibrations water gives off as it flows. The introduction of anthropophony - sound that is produced by humans - to these natural spaces, can disrupt these environments. This is one of the main issues raised by acoustic ecology, examining the changes that human produced sound has made to the environment.

But What Exactly is Relict?

Glad you asked! Relict is a collaborative arts and environmental research project between Black Goblin and Finnish artist Tuuli Meriläinen. The purpose of the project is to capture valuable information on the biodiversity and acoustic print of natural spaces through sound recording, as well as documentation of these places/spaces through art creation, so as to keep an artistic archive of the environment. 

Furthermore, by applying machine learning techniques we can also analyze environmental change, by examining how the sound itself changes over time.

What Inspired the Project?

The inspiration for the Relict project comes from the lakes of Tuuli’s home country of Finland. Growing up in Lieska, Tuuli developed an interest in the Landlocked Salmon (Järvilohi) of Lake Pielinen. The Järvilohi, only found in Lake Pielinen, are critically endangered due to the blockage of their breeding ground routes upstream as a result of human interference in the area, particularly the construction of power plants. This reached its boiling point in the 1970s when the population of salmon in the lake had almost entirely been depleted. Unfortunately, the situation surrounding the Järvilohi is not well documented, and so most of the population are unaware of the dangers the salmon are facing. This could very well see the Järvilohi face extinction in the near future.

Lake Pielinen, home of the Järvilohi (Picture by Tuuli Meriläinen)

Why “Relict”?

The name of the project derives from the term “relict species”. A relict species is one that, while once may have been abundant, has through time found itself confined to a certain smaller area - much like the Landlocked Salmon isolated in Lake Pielinen, as well as the Scottish Caledonian forests. Like the Järvilohi in Finland, the sprawling Caledonian forests were once plentiful in Scotland. However, over the years their presence has dwindled to less than 1% of what it once was, due to years of human interference, including urbanization and deforestation. It is critical that what is left of these forests is preserved, as they house several endangered species including red squirrels and black grouse.  

So What is Relict’s Goal?

The Relict project has two main goals. First, we wish to raise awareness of these relict species who are nearing extinction, drawing attention to these issues and supporting the preservation of the Järvilohi and the Caledonian forests. Through the use of sound and art, this project aims to establish an emotional link between both relict species and the communities near them, bridging the gap between science, art and culture.

Additionally, Relict intends to develop new ways to use sound and traditional art as data. Black Goblin aims to uncover new information about the environment via sound recordings, which can be then processed through machine learning. Collected data can also be used to visualize and monitor changes to the ecosystem by analyzing differences in soundscapes recorded over time.

The Caledonian forests of Beinn Eighe

What Have We Done So Far?

In early March, the team took a trip to the Beinn Eighe mountains in Scotland to capture the sounds of the surrounding forests, where Tuuli also sketched the natural landscapes she saw and created clay printings of the young trees. The team took sound recordings from both an old growth forest as well as another area with younger trees and found that the younger growth forest had a lot more human noise presence in its sound recordings, as opposed to the much denser old growth forest which had absorbed most human sound. The purpose of this trip was not only for the group to familiarize themselves with the Caledonian forest and the sounds that encompass it, but also, to develop new methods of sound data retrieval for future iterations of the project.

Relict will also have its own website where Tuuli will share quick sketches and watercolour studies produced on-site, and where we will be sharing updates of the sound work conducted - so you can follow along with the project in real-time!