. Newman’s work conveys to us that although Jacques Cousteau once described the ocean as silent, it is anything but. We normalise the abnormal and accept the unacceptable. Remember that two-thirds of Europeans are immersed in noise equivalent to consistent rainfall. Many people have no idea what true quiet feels like and with that inexperience, vicious cycles begin to spin. As we desecrate sensory environments and become accustomed to the results. As we push animals away, we get used to their absence. As the problem of sensory pollution grows, our willingness to address it subsides. This project asks us, how do we solve a problem that we don’t realise exists? Plastic pollution in the sea looks hideous and everyone is worried, but noise pollution in the sea is something we don’t experience, so no one’s up in arms about it. This project uncovers the truth about the poor state of sound within our oceans, revealing the beauty in the simplicity of the solution. We can just stop, and things will instantly go back to how they once were. Natural order will instantly be restored. We can simply remove the harm we have added. Unlike plastic pollution which will continue to spoil the oceans for centuries, even if all plastic pollution halted tomorrow. Noise pollution abates once engines and propellers wind down. Sensory pollution is an ecological gimme- a rare planetary problem that can be immediately and effectively addressed. 

To perceive the world through other senses is to find splendour in familiarity and sacred in the mundane. Newman utilises technology to dip into others Umwelten, humanities ability to do this is our greatest sensory skill and asset. We are the only animal that can even come close to understanding how another experiences the world. This is an invaluable gift that we are not necessarily deserving of but is one we must treasure. Now more than ever the most precious sound is that of your own voice.