Art Project Aims to Raise Awareness of Threat to Sights and Sounds of Antarctica

A musician has embarked on the mission of raising awareness of the threat to the sights and sounds of Antarctica. For that, Marina Velikova, a music editor at the Bulgarian National Radio (BNR), is taking part in the 32nd Bulgarian expedition to Livingston Island in the Antarctic where she is working on three projects: the music project titled "The Sounds of Antarctica", a photo exhibition and an exhibition of watercolours made with the glacial waters from Antarctica. “The aim of my project is to awaken the public to the fact that the aesthetics and beauty of the sounds and sights of Antarctica are endangered,” Velikova said in a BTA interview.

While in Antarctica, Velikova will also participate in the study of the waters in the area of the Bulgarian Antarctic base: she will collect data on the water's condition, electrical conductivity, acidity and different chemical characteristics.

Here is what Velikova told BTA about her projects:

The music

My music project, The Sounds of Antarctica, consists of two parts, the first containing all the natural sounds that I can record during my stay in Antarctica. These are the roar of glaciers, winds and blizzards. I will record the sounds of the animals, the penguins, the clincking of the small ice chunks that the Bulgarian Antarctic researchers call “soup”. I will record the silence of Antarctica. The second part of the project, which I will work on after my return from the 32nd expedition to Livingston Island, will include original compositions. In these compositions I will sing in a language that does not exist. It will be an invented language because there is no indigenous language in Antarctica. This will add to the feeling of this distant and unknown land. 

I want art to go hand in hand with science, to help scientific research, to make scientific facts heard and make sure people understand them. This way the public will pay attention to the threats the Earth is facing. Through art, the message about the Earth's condition could reach people more easily. This way they can think about and educate a future generation with respect for Earth. 

My project of three parts will take one year to accomplish. It will start first with the watercolour exhibition, then the photo exhibition. As the creative process and post-production will be longest for the music project, it will come come last. Ot will be presented with a concert and multimedia.

Equipment

I got myself a very good recording equipment. I got a nice camera to make the photographs. As for the watercolours, she has packed and sent them for the Antarctic base, and they are on their way on board the Bulgarian naval research ship Sv. Sv. Kiril I Metodii. 

The projects are financially supported by the Bulgarian Antarctic Institute, the Sofia water company, the Strim-Co online shop for special equipment and the East-West Foundation. "For the post-production of the projects, I have applied for funding from the National Culture Fund and the Sofia Municipality. I hope to get support because this kind of large-scale projects need a lot of support, both material and public. 

Preparation and expectations  

I listen to music a lot. I listen to people who have already been there. I watch a lot of movies, read books that are the result of other people's travel. My greatest desire is to be able to truly feel the power of this place that is remote, that is so unknown to us. 

I listen carefully when they warn us that discipline is very important in this place. I'm a disciplined person, I wouldn't cause trouble. I am aware of my responsibility.

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During the 32nd Bulgarian expedition to Antarctica, which started on November 8, 2023, the Bulgarian News Agency (BTA) is publishing interviews with Antarctic researchers. The Bulgaria-Antarctica BTA's Log again provides coverage of the voyage of the Sv. Sv. Kiril i Metodii to Antarctica and back and its stay there, as it did during the 31st expedition between December 27, 2022 and May 2, 2023. Back then, only BTA had a correspondent, Daily News Editor Konstantin Karagyozov, who covered the 127-day expedition with text, video and photos during the entire voyage (including across the Atlantic in both directions) and throughout the stay in Antarctica. In June 2023, BTA published in Bulgarian and in English an issue of its LIK magazine "To Antarctica and Back under the Bulgarian Flag" dedicated to the historic expedition.

Again, all of BTA's information on the Bulgarian scientific research in Antarctica and the support provided by the Bulgarian naval research vessel, as well as on the other activities at the Bulgarian Antarctic Base, will be available to all media outlets in Bulgarian and in English on BTA's website in the Bulgaria - Antarctica: BTA's Log section.

BTA has a National Press Club on board the ship and is planning to open a National Press Club at the Bulgarian Antarctic Base on Livingston Island.