Manx National Heritage has launched a new display at the Manx Museum which looks underneath the surface of the waters surrounding the island.

‘Hear Us: Sounds of the Sea’ features immersive audio, video, and graphics, created as part of a project bringing together artists, musicians, researchers and members of the public of all ages, to make underwater recordings around the island.

Led by Dr Alan Dunn of Leeds Beckett University and Dr Helen Tookey of Liverpool John Moores University, the project team has been visiting the Isle of Man since 2021.

It includes a former Shell sea captain, art students, researchers focused on plastic pollution and one of the world’s leading sound recordists, Chris Watson, who is known for his award-winning work with David Attenborough.

The project is inspired by the 1950s’ short stories of Wirral-born writer Malcolm Lowry.

Written while Lowry was living in a hand-built shack on the shoreline at Dollarton, near Vancouver in Canada, Lowry drew on his own memories of visiting the Isle of Man as a boy on family holidays.

Dr Alan Dunn said: ‘In the 1950s, Lowry was increasingly concerned about the effects of human-driven pollution and industrial development on the environment.

‘In his stories, he uses the Isle of Man as a symbol of the natural world, and of ways of living that are more in harmony with the natural environment.

‘He’s living by the sea and he’s writing about the sea, so we thought it would be interesting to use his ideas as a springboard, to bring a group of artists and writers and sound recordists to the Isle of Man and start listening to what we could hear under the surface of the water.

‘By tuning in to the sounds beneath the surface, we can develop a deeper appreciation for the island’s diverse marine life and gain a heightened awareness of the human-made noise pollution that threatens its delicate ecosystem.’

Dr Helen Tookey added: ‘It’s been fantastic to meet so many groups and individuals on the island who are already working, in so many ways, to help protect and conserve the Isle of Man’s extraordinarily rich environment.

‘We’ve been able to listen to and learn from the Beach Buddies, recyclecollect, Sound Records, Blue Carbon, UNESCO Biosphere, Manx Wildlife Trust, Manx National Heritage, Discover Diving, Festival of the Sea, Steam Packet and many members of the Government, alongside other wild swimmers, musicians, artists and members of the public’.

‘Hear Us: Sounds of the Sea’ can be found in the ‘natural history’ corridor at the Manx Museum, which is open daily from 9.30am to 4.30pm. The display will be in place until Sunday, March 30.

The research was funded by two grants from the AHRC (Arts and Humanities Research Council) as part of the United Kingdom Research Institute.

Sounds from the project, and podcasts and compositions created from them, can be found on the project website at www.malcolmlowry.com