Leah Barclay | WOLF ROCK (2009)
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WOLF ROCK (2009)

Wolf Rock is a series of volcanic pinnacles that forms part of the Great Sandy Marine Park in Queensland. It is a vital habitat for the critically endangered grey nurse sharks and considered to be Queensland’s most important location for the species. Despite their undeserved reputation, grey nurse sharks are not threatening or aggressive and these majestic creatures desperately need greater awareness around their protection. This installation builds on my previous research at Wolf Rock to create an interactive installation to expose this distinctive aquatic landscape and raise awareness of the critically endangered grey nurse sharks.

The work was initially developed as a live performance piece featured at the 2008 Australasian Computer Music Conference in Sydney. The piece was composed for live electronics, bass clarinet and live projections. The projections were developed by James Muller of Earth Base Productions and featured internationally acclaimed performer Richard Haynes on bass clarinet.

The following phase of this project was realised in two phases, the first as a gallery installation and the second as an interactive website drawing on realtime data.

In 2010, a new version of Wolf Rock under the title ‘Confluence’ was released on Leah Barclay’s Sound Mirrors album and can be streamed via soundcloud by clicking play on the icon below.

The final stage of this installation is still under development, which will involve collecting visual and auditory source material from the site (under the guidance of Wolf Rock Dive Centre) and creating a non-linear series of compositions to be placed in a multi-channel audio-visual space. The environment will be controlled by a motion sensor installed at Wolf Rock that will track the position of the sharks and allow their activity to define the structure of the installation. This will be mirrored on the website, with the ability to switch between different layers of processing and interact with materials in realtime.

The is an art-science collaboration that explores the role of creativity and technology in monitoring and understanding endangered species.