“La mélodie du tourbillon” is a musical poem inspired by research on eddies in the Mediterranean Sea. It was produced by Tomasi Record and released on the 3rd anniversary of the BioSWOT-Med campaign.
The artists during a recording session: Théo Garica, Laurina Oms, David Nérini.
“The eddy melody” (La mélodie du tourbillon) is a musical poem inspired by the research paper “Ocean Circulation Modulating the Nutrient Distribution and Fluxes at Regional and Fine scales: A Case Study in The Northwestern Mediterranean Sea” by Joël et al. published on Geophysical Research Letter. The paper investigates the role of fine-scale eddies in the distribution of nutrients across multiple scales at the North Balearic Frontal zone. The melody is inspired by the spatial pattern of eddies that were located thanks to SWOT satellite images during the fast-sampling phase.
The melody, released by Tomasi Record in conjunction with the 3rd anniversary of the BioSWOT-Med campaign, is a collaborative effort from researchers at the Mediterranean Institute of Oceanography (MIO), in Marseille, France. It was born from an idea of Andrea Doglioli (BioSWOT-Med chief scientist) based on the paper by Aude Joël; the music was composed by Théo Garcia; the words were written by Laurina Oms one night during during the BioSWOT-Med cruise. “The eddy melody” features Laurina Oms (voice), David Nérini (bass) and Théo Garcia (acoustic guitar, drums, electric guitar, harmonica, bagpipes).
To learn more how the project developed, check out the story behind the eddy melody.
LYRICS (English translation):
I wake up in the middle of the night, my body still heavy with sleep, and wander a few steps into the night, rocked by the waves. The moon is full and high in the sky, casting its light in silvery shards across the opaque surface of the water. The sea is strange tonight; not a breath of wind disturbs the fluid envelope of its world, forever misunderstood by humankind.
I feel as though I am in the middle of an immense lake, swallowing my mind into its labyrinth of infinity with every glance I cast upon it.
Beneath the surface, one of the spirits of the sea reveals itself with the lightness of a dream—it is a ray that seems to fly rather than swim. It undulates in silence; it is as if the sea agrees, for a brief moment, to surrender itself to me.
But the sea would never surrender itself to humans.
Its time fulfilled, the moon gradually detaches itself from the sky; the silvery glints turn golden, then red. It drifts beyond the horizon, accompanied by the undulating spirit. But the sea is never alone; when the moon disappears, the sun paints its first glimmers in a festival of colors.
Red, yellow, pink, blue, and green form the canvas of dawn. The sea welcomes the exotic reflections of the sky and remains in its impassive calm. Only its breathing sets it in motion; its salty lungs expand and contract in time with my own.
I, too, am leaving; I slip my half-awake body beneath my still-warm sheets.
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