The Weddell Seal is a joint project of Australian violinist, artistic researcher, scholar, and educator Anna McMichael, Finnish-Australian double bass player, vocalist, and composer Helen Svoboda, and Australian sound designer Tilman Robinson, responding to and shaped by the underwater sounds of the Antarctic Weddell Seal (Leptonychotes weddellii), the southernmost dwelling mammal and one of the largest seal species, found only in Antarctic waters. This species is well studied because it occupies fast ice environments near the Antarctic continent, often close to research stations.
The Weddell Seal is especially notable for its complex and diverse vocal behaviour. These seals communicate through multiple pathways: sound can travel through water, air, and even ice. It produces sounds both
