DANCING ON BOTH SIDES OF THE SURFACE
Few organisms are able to navigate both large depths and surface waters.
The pressure changes are crushing.
Whales have flexible rib cages and collapsible lungs that compress as they dive deeper, allowing them to navigate this pressure gradient. As they surface to breathe, oxygen is pumped into muscles and blood, rather than stored in lungs. Their vertical dives circulate nutrients like iron and nitrogen from deep waters to the surface, which are essential for phytoplankton to grow.
These single-celled organisms live suspended in water — near the surface, where enough sunlight can penetrate to power photosynthesis. In total, phytoplankton produce more than 50% of all oxygen in the Earth’s atmosphere.
Every time a whale surfaces to breathe, you get to breathe as well.
Video - 3 Sequences
01 approaching the surface
02 breaching the surface
03 tracing the surface
Produced during a Residency at Röhsska Museet, Gothenburg (SE), 2025
Exhibition at Röhsska Museum for Design and Craft, Gothenburg (SE), as part of Valhelmland.
June 16- August 28, 2025