Two Code Humpback steel projection cowls were donated to Wave Farm by Charles Lindsay in 2021 with the intention of sharing art-devices in anonymous collaborations. Lindsay was the SETI Institute’s first artist in residence and subsequently the director of that Silicon Valley based program. These cowls, modeled on air in-take vents on 20th century steamers, comprised part of the first output from SETI AIR. Made in collaboration with Dr. Laurance Doyle, Code Humpback showed at the Bolinas Art Museum in 2014 and MassMoCA in 2015 and 2016, rear projecting video and sound.

Dr. Doyle wrote algorithms that proved humpback whale communications exhibit syntax — very strongly suggesting humpbacks have language. For the original work Lindsay and Doyle also collaborated with the RCA at Bolinas, the last operational Morse Code facility in the US. Lindsay wrote the simple poetic phrases ‘what are the whales saying’ and ‘all we need is love’ which were transmitted and received in morse code, and then converted from audio to midi, to be utilized in Ableton Live to drive oceanic audio samples and video clips from inside the cowls outward. His central theme of inquiry wonders what patterned information surrounds us on a daily basis of which we are unaware? Doyle is studying Humpbacks with this simple question: how can we expect to communicate with ET if we can’t communicate with highly intelligent organisms that share our bio-chemistry here on Earth?

For more information:
vimeo.com/201955953 (see minute 1:30 - 2:08)
templetonworldcharity.org/blog/humpback-whale-songs-search-alien-intelligence-dr-laurance-doyle-and-dr-fred-sharpe-video
charleslindsay.com