Silent Seas was an interactive sound installation initially commissioned for On Lands Edge Festival 2024, in the Ocean Lab research aquarium, Pembrokeshire and was also exhibited for Boia Festival in 2025.

Silent Seas invited the audience to listen in to the hidden sounds made by tiny creatures that live in our teeming Pembrokeshire rockpools whilst watching a long form video of a tide pool habitat, projected onto the surface of the water of an interactive Rockpool.

The sounds varied from limpets grazing and dog whelks rasping, to shrimp snapping and crabs croaking, the complexity of these seemingly calm intertidal pools is revealed through this cacophony of tiny sounds. In this harsh and ever changing environment marine life must fight for food and territory whilst withstanding the shifting nature of the tides and weather. 

The audience were invited to drop a pebble into the amplified rockpool, a simple act that calls on the the viewer to consider their own impact on the habitats of our shoreline as they add their own visual and sonic disturbance to the installation. 

 Our diverse coastline unfortunately faces many threats; with rising sea temperatures allowing invasive species to thrive our shorelines and endangering our native biodiversity. Coastal development can lead to habitat loss and pollution such as agricultural fertilizer run-off can put the population of individual species at risk, disrupting the delicate food web that supports life on our shorelines. 

Through supporting local conservation initiatives and treating our environment with respect and curiosity we can have a positive influence on the future of these exquisite habitats. 

 Marine Biologist Lloyd Nelmes was a consultant, advising on the scientific accuracy of the research and final output.