Television sound recordist takes us beneath oceans

An award-winning television sound recordist will give a fascinating insight into life in oceans at a special UNESCO Biosphere Isle of Man event in May.

Chris Watson’s television work includes Sir David Attenborough’s ‘The Life of Birds’ and ‘Frozen Planet’ series on BBC, both of which won BAFTA awards for Best Factual Sound.

He has created a presentation specially for the Isle of Man, entitled Wavelengths: Songs Under the Surface.

Chris says: ‘These underwater recordings have been made in the five major oceans around the world and recorded with hydrophones (underwater microphones) and include the calls of humpback whales as they migrate across the North Atlantic and conclude with the song of the largest animal that has ever lived, the blue whale.

‘At the opposite end of the scale, but equally fascinating, during my first visit to the Isle of Man in 2022, I recorded at the south end of Douglas bay some wonderful, rhythmic, grating sound of limpets grazing.’

The event takes place at the Manx Museum on Saturday 4th May at 7pm. Doors open at 6.30pm.

Tickets, £6.13 to include the Eventbrite booking fee, can be purchased here.

Chris has been part of a network of artists and poets visiting the Isle of Man to re-think Wirral-born writer Malcolm Lowry (1909-57), who visited the Island as a child and used it in his later writing as a model for improved relations with our seas. Read more here.

The network is collecting underwater recordings from around the Island to share with the population and is an AHRC-funded collaboration between Leeds Beckett University and Liverpool John Moores University. Read more information here.

The event is part of Manx Wildlife Week (27th April to 5th May), organised by Manx National Heritage and in association with Manx Wildlife Trust and UNESCO Biosphere Isle of Man. The week connects people with the importance of wildlife and nature and how individuals can support and enjoy it. Click here for events.

Photo by Jo Stevens.