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A person in a hoodie operates equipment at a table with computers while an audience watches. The room glows with blue underwater lighting effects, and a large curved screen displays an underwater ocean scene featuring a swimming seal.

Lost Communications: Underwater

June 2025 – December 2026

A new live performance project that explores the acoustic world of marine life.

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Underwater is a new live performance project developed by Research Fellows Dr An-Ting Chang and Dr Ian Gallagher.

Using their DIY 360-degree hydrophone set, immersive compositions and Unreal Engine, they record sounds from coral reefs, fish, whales and other underwater creatures, integrating them into original 3D compositions and visuals. The result is a unique underwater soundscape brought to life through a multi-sensory hybrid online and in-person performance, engaging the audience in an immersive world of different dimensions.

Using cutting-edge AI technology, they transform underwater sounds into a 3D digital world with dynamic visuals, allowing audiences to experience a magical underwater world through three formats: VR, desktop (digital), and projections (physical). The in-person audio-visual performance will be enhanced with interactive gaming elements for its online version. An-Ting and Ian will be projected into the 3D world using Kinect cameras, enabling real-time interaction with audiences through their VR headsets.

The project is supported by Sound UK, Immersive Arts and Norwich University of Arts, and co-commissioned by Oxford Contemporary Music. The work premiered as part of the Norfolk and Norwich Festival in May 2026.

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  • Two people work at computers in a dark room with a large, curved screen behind them displaying an underwater scene with coral and blue water. One person, wearing a hood, stands while the other sits facing the glowing underwater display.
  • A group of people listen to a speaker in a dark room with large underwater-themed screens and text displays on the wall, creating an immersive underwater atmosphere. Some attendees are seated on the floor, while others stand around the presenter.
  • A group of people stand and sit inside a dark room, watching an immersive underwater aquarium display with blue water, fish, and colorful coral projected onto a curved screen.
  • A crowd of people stands and sits in a dark room, facing a large curved screen displaying vivid underwater visuals in shades of blue, with a performer silhouetted on stage in front of the mesmerizing scene.
  • A group of people stand and sit inside a dark, circular room surrounded by immersive digital screens showing a vibrant, surreal landscape with underwater trees, snow, and a person in the center.
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