Tranquility At Ricketts Point

//Single screen video with stereo field recording//

A short, ambient documentary.

Originally inhabited by the The Bunurong peoples of the Kulin nation who remain the traditional owners, today Ricketts Point is a protected marine sanctuary. Looking out to sea the location feels remote and serene, however this visual harmony belies a complex soundscape in which the natural and human worlds coalesce to create a unique sonorous narrative, brimming with dissonant activity.

Beyond the dunes a busy highway runs parallel to the shore, creating a drone of traffic noise that underpins the shrill calls of the native waterbirds. People take phone calls as they stroll near the water, children play in puddles, planes and various seacraft motor past in the background. Somewhere nearby, a house is being built- the sounds of drills and nail guns echo over the water as gulls squawk.

As the camera focuses in on the detail of the intertidal rock pools, the lapping water becomes audible, quietly vying for a place within the sonic landscape.