work smarter
with Corina Rauer

2024
Exciter, manipulated deep sea hydrophone recording, used meat transport boxes, screws, magnets

The light dissipates into an all-consuming darkness. The temperature drops close to the freezing point and the pressure of the water is crushing. Eyes are big to extract even the faintest traces of light and bodies emerge as ethereal specters. The adaptations to this extreme environment seem strange to the human eyes. Upon reaching the expanses of the abyssal plains the ground is scattered with concretions 10 centimeters in diameter, enigmatic formations called manganese nodules. They contain vital rare earths, essential for powering the devices that define human existence. Heralded by an illuminated sediment cloud a harvester comes into view. The machine gathers the nodules in a long narrow stripe leaving nothing but a deep plow track etched in the ocean floor.