K Nelson: The environmental tipping point

Kathryn Nelson & Roy Nelson: The environmental tipping point: a necessary dialogue

This paper will concentrate on the ecological theory of regime shift, also known as the tipping point. Regime shift is concerned with the resistance and resilience of ecosystems to disturbance. Nature is expected to respond slowly and smoothly to any disruptive incident, but this is not always the case, instead there is often a sudden toppling of one regime to another. These fluctuations are often mass extinction events. My aim is initially to describe scientific research into the possibility of trophic cascade in the world’s oceans as keystone species are lost and the possibility of regime shift grows ever closer. From the scientific I will then move to the artistic and discuss a collaborative art installation: Chorale Lament.

This collaborative project was created with the sound artist, Roy Nelson. Over-fishing, climate change and pollution in the seas around our coasts inspired the project. It details the drastic reduction of the fish population which in turn has increased jellyfish blooms around the British Isles. The project uses underwater sound from Strangford Lough, the cry of seals, and anthropogenic noise from St. George’s market in Belfast. Text and imagery have also been used to fully engage and inform the public. This paper will explore a trans-disciplinary framework, identifying scientific research as well as an artistic approach to the theme of regime shift. This has been achieved through an initial literature review and a critical appraisal of Chorale Lament. The installation was considered by the audience as attractive, but the main discussion point during the exhibition period was that the public were not aware of the theory of regime shift and how ecological communities can rapidly change due to human activities.

These findings suggest that new ways of communicating are vital, to ensure that we are all fully cognisant of the full ramifications of the environmental crisis. We as a species must become a greener society, if we do not, every living creature on our planet is on borrowed time.

Roy Nelson will talk about underwater recording.