Exploring the Ocean Twilight Zone: Diving into Earth’s Hidden Depths
What do you think is the largest animal migration in the world? Wildebeests? Humpback whales? Maybe Monarch Butterflies?
In fact, the largest animal migration in the world happens once a day, and features billions of creatures leading one of the most globally-impactful cycles for our earth. The heroes of this movement, which is called the Diel Vertical Migration (DVM), are Zooplankton — small fish, shrimp, jellies, and other minuscule creatures who might seem more at home in space than in our ocean. They travel up to 1000m from the ocean twilight zone up to the surface to eat, and then head back down again, repeating this journey every single day.
Diel comes from Latin for “day”, signifying the 24-hour cycle of this migration. (And vertical comes from “vertical” which means vertical).
But the real impact of this gargantuan-yet-unsung movement is that its daily feasting leads to one of the world’s largest sources of carbon management. The ocean’s “Carbon Pump,” as it’s referred to, includes many mechanisms of the consumption of a massive amount of carbon-laden particles from the surface called “marine snow,” ultimately resulting in 4 to 12 gigatons of carbon being removed from earth’s surface. To put that into perspective, just four gigatons is equal in mass to over 250,000 Washington Monuments!
The billions of creatures that make up this migration have all adapted and developed to their unique environment — traveling from the cold darkness, up to the surface and back — these adaptations may seem strange or surprising in isolation, but they play a critical role in our global ecosystem. These unassuming organisms show us that weird is wonderful.
Our knowledge of this enigmatic part of the ocean is largely due to the work of Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, the world’s leading independent non-profit organization dedicated to ocean research, exploration and education. Inspired by their amazing work as leaders in their field, we began exploring a partnership to transform their incredible scientific findings into an artistic experience.
Born of this collaboration is Twilight Zone: Hidden Wonders of the Ocean. Premiering on September 14, 2024 at ARTECHOUSE DC, this is the latest creation from ARTECHOUSE Studio and a major scientific organization.
Twilight Zone centers on a stunning 24-minute cinematic experience, which captures a Diel Vertical Migration. This audio-visual journey, filled with vibrant colors and mesmerizing bioluminescence, offers a glimpse into the lives of the creatures that inhabit this twilight world. From the sunlit surface of the sea to dark depths, the experience captures the beauty and complexity of the ocean’s mid-layer, where billions of organisms — from microscopic phytoplankton to majestic apex predators — play a crucial role in maintaining our planet’s health.
The exhibition features auxiliary installations that delve deeper into the ocean twilight zone’s curiosities like the surprising biodiversity of the ocean twilight zone revealed through acoustic data, environmental DNA, and bioluminescence and the Mesobot, a robot that tracks and observes deep-sea life.
By combining ARTECHOUSE’s expertise in experiential and art with WHOI’s pioneering oceanographic research, the exhibition offers a unique blend of science and art. Together, they bring the mysterious depths of the ocean twilight zone to life, providing visitors with an unprecedented opportunity to explore and appreciate one of Earth’s most enigmatic and crucial ecosystems.
Remember to stay weird.
Reserve your tickets to TWILIGHT ZONE: Hidden Wonders of the Ocean >>
