Abstract
This thesis examines how to communicate the concept of marine noise pollution and its effect on cetaceans to the general public. Tackling a largely unknown and intangible subject, it investigates how to make these effects more tangible through participatory sci-art exhibition. To provide a scientific foundation for the subject matter of the exhibition, this thesis begins by broadly reviewing the physics of sound underwater, the evolution of acoustic sensory systems in cetaceans, and the various forms of contemporary marine noise pollution. Before describing the creative component of this thesis (a participatory exhibition), the concepts of sci-art (the integration of science and art) and participatory exhibition are explored as methods for making the intangible tangible. The design and implementation of the resulting exhibition, frequensea, is described and visually documented through image and video collections within subsequent chapters and appendices. At the centre of the exhibition is an interactive art installation that visitors construct and move through, simultaneously giving visitors a visual representation and physical experience of the barriers marine noise pollution creates for cetaceans. The success of the exhibition was evaluated based on visitor observation (e.g. extent and duration of visitor interaction with individual exhibition components) and exit surveys. Results support that participatory sci-art exhibitions can effectively increase awareness and understanding of intangible concepts through heightened physical and emotional connections.