As part of the Sea +1 Breath project, musician Mercan Dede drew inspiration from the sounds of biodiversity in the Sea of Marmara to bring “The Symphony of Corals” to life.
The Marmara Sea serves as a vital biological corridor between the Black Sea, the Aegean Sea, and the Mediterranean Sea.
In this context, the Denize +1 Nefes (One More Breath for the Sea) project, established in 2022 in collaboration with Anadolu Efes and the Deniz Yaşamını Koruma Derneği (DYKD, Marine Life Conservation Association) to support the development of biodiversity in the Sea of Marmara and raise awareness, continues.
The project aims to propagate and protect corals, which are considered the rainforests of the seas and are facing extinction, and to enrich biodiversity along with underwater life in the Sea of Marmara.
In the first phase of Sea +1 Breath, divers relocated corals that had been separated from their natural habitat and damaged to an area off Tavşan Island in the Sea of Marmara, which has been declared a strictly protected sensitive area, and created new coral gardens.
In the second phase of the project, a camera system was installed 30 meters below the sea surface to continuously monitor and record the development of the transplanted corals and the impact they create.
The sounds of living creatures were recorded using sound recording devices placed underwater by divers to capture the sounds of biodiversity in the Sea of Marmara.
The sea and nature-loving musician Mercan Dede drew inspiration from these recordings to create his work “The Symphony of Corals.”.
“Corals, the lifeblood of the seas”
Musician Mercan Dede stated in his remarks on the subject, “The climate crisis, which is affecting the world and our country, threatens not only today but also our future, and marine ecosystems are among the areas most affected by this crisis. Ecosystems operate in interconnected cycles. The rich biodiversity of the Sea of Marmara is brought to life by creatures such as sea bass, lobster, shrimp, dolphins, and mussels that thrive around the corals. In this sense, the Sea +1 Breath project is invaluable for protecting corals, and I created the work ‘Symphony of Corals’ with the aim of contributing to the efforts to raise awareness in society. I also wanted to emphasize how a small step taken anywhere in the world can bring about a major transformation in the life of the oceans and the entire ecosystem through kaleidoscopic images. Corals are the lifeblood of the oceans; protecting them is one of our greatest responsibilities for a sustainable future.”.
“The Symphony of Corals became the voice of the Sea of Marmara.”
Beer Group Chairman and Anadolu Efes CEO Onur Altürk also stated that they are implementing projects that will create long-term value with a perspective of strengthening society, the environment, and the ecosystem consisting of all stakeholders, saying, ”We are working to build a responsible, conscious, and sustainable future. The Marmara Sea is home to nearly 3,000 species. Although rich in biological diversity, unfortunately, it has been under serious threat in recent years. Research shows that 17 species have completely disappeared from the Sea of Marmara in the last 50 years, and many other species are also facing extinction. With the Denize +1 Nefes (Sea +1 Breath) project, which we launched three years ago, we are working to revive the corals in the Marmara Sea, also known as the ‘rainforests of the sea.’ We have partnered with the Sea Life Conservation Association to create new coral gardens and raise awareness on this issue. This year, we added a completely different perspective to our project to raise social awareness and brought together the valuable artist Mercan Dede. The Symphony of Corals became the voice of the Marmara Sea. On the other hand, underwater sound data from the Marmara Sea also provided important findings for observing biological diversity and monitoring the health of the marine ecosystem.”.
“We wanted to listen to the sound of the sea.”
Volkan Narcı, President of the Marine Life Conservation Association, provided the following information:
“Increasing the coral population and biodiversity in the Sea of Marmara, as well as protecting them and restoring them to the ecosystem, is of great importance to us. In this context, in our Sea +1 Breath project, we wanted to listen to the voice of the sea this year. Indeed, our efforts to collect underwater sound data revealed that noise pollution caused by human activities is the most commonly recorded sound data. In this context, Mercan Dede created the work ‘Symphony of Corals,’ inspired by the sounds and images of many marine creatures, to share the sound of the Marmara Sea.”
English