Seeing, Hearing

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Dion Jones

Prof J. Pressman

ECL 305; Literature and the Environment

3 November 2025

Seeing, Hearing 

This weekend’s texts “The Water Will Carry Us Home” (TWWCUH) and  “Sirenomelia” utilize audio and visual storytelling in order to engage with a blue world. 

TWWCUH utilizes Afrofuturistic elements, as well as traditional African spiritual beliefs in its framing of water. Both aspects reach across space-time to connect them to the Igbo—and others—who chose to drown and those who were forced offboard who would otherwise be further trafficked in the Transatlantic Slave Trade. It depicts the forces—wind and water—that allowed the escape to take place as divine figures—as figures with agency. The formatting of the film includes both stop motion media—presumably physically crafted art—and live action depictions of the unnamed character. In effect, TWCCUH acknowledges the history of water as a path, water as imagination, and water as the future/a connective constant. 

“Sirenomelia” depicts liquid and solid water and the biological, crafted, and formed structures along them. The diegetic sound establishes and conflicts with a sense of isolation and absence. The only visible non-plant life to appear is that of a mermaid who traverses the seemingly abandoned artificial features and structures—which imply the search or use of some resource or foe. The mermaid is a figure that points at that which is not there or is no longer there and compares it to whatever is leftover. The mark of the U.S.-USSR Cold War persists despite the collapse of one of the adversaries. Further, it argues for the continued existence of water despite what comes, goes, or corrupts.

Week 11: The Water will Carry Us Home

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In this short film, directed by Gabriella Tesfaye, she illustrates a terrifying truth about the ocean’s history, yet still manages to tell a beautiful, almost comforting story. We all learned about the Middle Passage in high school or middle school history classes, but I fear we were shielded from the gruesome details and horrifying tactics used to transport the victims. I never before thought of the Middle Passage as “Ocean History” necessarily. I saw it as a history of how slaves were transported from one land mass to another. This stop motion film illuminated the fact that the Ocean itself can very much be a holder of history.

These poor pregnant women depicted in the film were thrown overboard and drowned in the sea. That is just one of those truly heartbreaking truths. They now rest (hopefully peacefully) on the ocean floor. They had to endure a horrible, watery death that could never be justified. Tesfaye’s film tells an alternative death story for these women, honoring the Water Spirit, “Omambala”. The ocean has inspired religious practices and gods/goddesses since the beginning of time. Ancient peoples knew the water to have much more history than modern people may ever be able to comprehend. The telling of this story from the perspective of the sea, the true historical setting of the Middle Passage, may be exactly how we need to view it. How many slave bodies does the sea floor hold? Do their souls still reside there? Just how much History was thrown overboard to be forgotten forever? The sea holds secrets that humans wish to rid their minds of, a dumping place of sorts, where all can be cast away, and essentially washed away from reality. When you think of the Ocean as a graveyard, you think of every story, every mishap, or murder that led those bodies there. If the ocean could talk, if it had a civilization to write the stories and illustrate the tragedies, would we have more respect for it? I think it would allow us to know the human race in a whole new light.

Sirenomelia

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In the short film Sirenomelia, there is a mermaid that is seen swimming in a decommissioned NATO base. The part that I particularly found interesting was the noise and camera angles of when the mermaid was in vision. The beginning of the video states the sound is “white noise” but I noticed that when the mermaid was in frame it sounded like a disruption in audio. Exemplifying a disruption in reasoning and belief of the reality that mermaids could exist.

The changes in audio and video quality was evident throughout the whole film, another notable change was when the camera was closer to the water/ in the water the video quality was blurrier or not as clear and the audio was stronger—in a almost eerie kind of way. Where as the beginning and the end of the film, once the camera was panned out or in aerial view the video quality was more clear and the audio was more of tranquillity. This detail in the film definitely ties into the description of the film stating that the creators wanted to show “The Future is Certain; It’s The Past Which is Unpredictable…history can both be rewritten and imprint itself on the future.”

The contrast of blurrier images and sounds replicate the past that was something the present could only understand through the lenses of others that show unclarity. Where as the clearer images show the future and the progression that future is advancing in.

Week 11: Nature marches on

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After watching Sirenomelia, I thought the short film was powerful in showing how nature, with or without humans, continues onward. The film places us in the perspective of a mermaid, exploring a decommissioned NATO base in Norway and seeing how much of it has been claimed by nature since there are no humans around to maintain it.

The scene at 2:15 especially interested me because it shows how desolate the underground parts of the base really are when there are no humans looking after it. The scene is in black and white with what sounds like the screeching of a tram, and the only “light” we have exploring this part of the base is pointed towards the ground. Meanwhile, there is another scene overlayed on top of it; it’s hard to make out, but there is a light and a part of a wall which quickly gets distorted by a disturbance on the water’s surface. Although there are muffled voices, there is no discernible dialogue throughout the film; what once was a foundation used to study the Arctic Ocean is now an echo of the past.

By using a decommissioned NATO base, it shows us that humans are responsible for maintaining the transgressions against nature that we call machinery/industrialization, which we use to explore and learn about the ocean. Maintaining them means actively protecting it from the forces of nature, such as erosion and invasive species, and that also means we have to exploit the resources given to us to maintain them. Without someone to look after these machines, nature will ultimately come back to reclaim them, reincorporating them as another part of nature. That is why you often see plants growing inside abandoned buildings and theme parks; man-made creations are temporary, nature is inevitable.

Week 11: Sironomelia; Nature Prevails Human Beings

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Watching the first few minutes of Sironomelia was rather confusing to me, as we only got small glimpses of what was labeled to be an Arctic Nato submarine base with some underwater shots. But as the video progressed, we see a mermaid figure swimming around the waters of the base, completely alone.

I think back to the lessons we have discussed in class before, specifically on the relationships humans have with the ocean. Humans have historically neglected the ocean’s past, treating it as a history-less abyss devoid of life. However, that is far from the truth. Not only is it a historical wonder that holds all the secrets to life from millions of years ago, it is also full of life. However, if there is one thing about humans, they will do anything to conquer and politicize land that isn’t theirs to begin with. We talked about borders with coastlines in Eric Paul Roorda’s The Ocean Reader and in Helen Rodzwadoski’s “Introduction: in Vast Expanses: A History of the Oceans. Both of these readings emphasize the relationships humans have cultivated with the oceans. Dismissive, but also aggressive. What I notice in Sironomelia is the absence of humans—and with it, the absence of destruction and greed. We see a mermaid traversing this abandoned base, and I speculate that the intention of the film was that it takes place in the near future, devoid of humans.

Sironomelia tells the story of what kind of life prevails: humans are but a speck in comparison to the geological history of the Earth. But what does prevail is nature. What will prevail is the oceans. The mermaid we see is at peace because she doesn’t have to worry about the destruction that humans once brought to her world.

Week 11: Sirenomelia; She Swims Away

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Emilija Škarnulytė’s film Sirenomelia explores a distant imprint of humanity on the world’s surface. In siren form, her exploration of the decommissioned NATO base in the Arctic circle, is as beautiful as it is haunting. This human construction is an abandoned effort by northern powers to position itself, and control movements between the northern nations. But it appears to us as remnants of an alien world, accompanied by quasar sounds, or noises of distant objects.

Like whales who can echolocate distant objects through their sonar, this siren creature might have similarly found this distant human construction. Though, now devoid of human life, but encrusted upon its submerged foundations is ocean life growing upon it, even in frigid temperatures, as seen through the eyes of the mermaid.

The mermaid is perhaps our future selves, wading through our past and trying to decode our creations; our legacy. As the namesake of this film, the condition called sirenomelia, are we viewing a potential future of humanity, adapting to the rapid change of the climate by returning to the water. And what is the cost of this evolution, but to view our past through an alien lens, of a collapsed civilization from a bygone era.

The siren explores the base, but unlike the lively civilization that entrances the little mermaid, there is nothing to truly hold her attention. She swims through its canals and docking bays, past it, away from some human archeological site; remnants of old empire, and back to the open Ocean. She swims away. Perhaps our future is no longer on land.

Week 11: Sironemelia (2017)

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After watching the short film I found that this was showcasing the reality that mermaids would live in present day. The mix of nature, such as the abundant amount of snow and glaciers, with the mix of man made objects such as the telephone or signal pole, the bridge, and the concrete canal, for example, show the “hard” reality of nature. Within the first minute we see the vast land covered with snow, to then get immediately met with metal structures, which I assume is some sort of satellite, which is then followed by the word “Sironemelia” being displayed on the screen with a soft, but distinct screech. This was almost like a screech that possibly a mermaid, or other creature that lives within this sort of environment could make. It was as though we were hearing the screams of those affected by the man made objects, which aren’t supposed to be there.

As the video continues, I noticed what I presume is a mermaid, swimming in dark water (2:48) within what looked like a tunnel/road. This reminded me of the wild animals who often become road kill trying to cross a road that was built within their natural habitat. Not only was it swimming within an odd place, but it didn’t swim with much grace, and swam in a way like it was stuck in place, or caught in something. Again, something like a wild sea animal caught within a sea net. That specific frame could capsulate several of the different stories of the mermaids that are attempting to live within the confines of man and their spaces. Trapped, unable to move freely with the grace a mermaid has.

Mermaids a Symbol of Rebirth

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“The Water Will Carry Us Home” a short film animated by Gabrielle Tesfaye captures and retells the story of African people who were captured and thrown off ship during the trip through the Middle Passage. I’ve had brief knowledge before, where I was told that captured Africans would be thrown off ship or willingly jump off ship because in their hearts they believe that the ocean waters would take them home to Africa as they transform into mermaids. Tesfaye was able to tell history from an overlooked perspective, one that is rooted deep in culture and spirituality.

In the opening scene of the animated film, a masculine figure holds a key in one hand. Both of his hands carrying an eye. He is surrounded by many doors, and the one he chooses emerges him amidst stormy sea waters. The third eyes seen in the story can be seen as a perspective shift, or the one that sees beyond a colonial narrative of the past. The film includes an old excerpt of a news article stating how African people were to be sold, describing them as healthy, the dehumanization and commodification of their lives blatant. The third eyes sees beyond this, it is a symbol of reclaiming their stolen lives with the help of their connection with the ocean. The ocean wasn’t something to be feared, not when it were other humans who have stolen their lives. Nature heals more than it destroys, a mystical mermaid goddess figure appears to embrace and redirect those who’ve been thrown off ship. Their transformations into mermaids and gaining a third eye is one of a spiritual rebirth.

Week 11: Fluid Identity

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The short film Sirenomelia uses underwater imagery and minimal sound to explore the bodies that exist between categories, challenging the viewers to rethink what it means to be seen, understood, and accepted. The fshort film first begins with blurred figures moving through water with nothing being clear at first, almost dreamlike. By making it visually uncertain, the film pushes us to question the way we normally expect bodies to appear in the water

As for the title, Sirenomelia refers to a real congenital condition in which a baby is born with fused legs and is often commonly referred to as “mermaid syndrome.” Naming the film after this condition sets the tone and encourages us to focus on the bodies that society may label as “abnormal”. By presenting the body underwater where shapes can flow and merge freely, the identities feel fluid both literally and symbolically. This is shown when the camera lingers on a slow gentle movement under the surface and distorts the body, not in a cruel or frightening way, but in a peaceful, almost protective manner. The silence and soft ambient sounds reinforce this feeling, making the view become more aware of breathing, movement, and presence.

In this sense, the films main message seems to be about embracing difference. By keeping the body partially hidden, the film resists the idea that identity is something that must be clearly defined or fit within a standard. Instead, the film invites us to slow down and accept the ambiguity, and see beauty in forms that wouldn’t normally match conventional expectations.

Womb of the Ocean: The Third Eye

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In Gabrielle Tesfaye’s The Water Will Carry Us Home, the image of three women (as depicted above, 4:30) underwater, each marked with a single, open third eye, symbolizes both the divine vision and spiritual rebirth. The third eye connects each of them to one another and to the divine world of the Orishas–these are water deities from Yoruba tradition. Rather than showing them drowning, Tesfaye transforms them into beings of power and awareness. I felt that it was important as well to point out how their eyes are closed, leaving only the third eye open, which emphasizes that their perception has shifted from physical to spiritual. Their open third eye suggests they have crossed into a higher state of understanding, one that exists beyond the material world.

I researched more about the representation of water deities with a third eye and discovered more about the traditional Yoruba culture. I found that Yemoja is a mother spirit and patron deity of women, especially pregnant women. She presides over rivers, but she can visit other bodies of water–showing that she has the ability to transcend lands and borders. Her name, meaning “mother of fish children,” shows her protection of life and her dominion over living things. Yemoja is also often portrayed as a mermaid, linking water and motherhood together, which resonates with Tesfaye’s depiction of women’s rebirth and collective awakening. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yem%E1%BB%8Dja

By placing these women in the water (as pictured above, seconds before their transformation, 4:28), Tesfaye ties the idea of sight to rebirth and return to water. The ocean acts as a womb–a place of transformation. They are thrown overboard and not simply lost to the sea, but they are received by it. The third eye marks the moment of this change, showing us that death has turned into a spiritual transformation. There also seems to be a calmness in their faces after their transformation, the calm and glowing look of them in the water suggests acceptance and peace, as if the Orishas–like Yemoja–have embraced them. Their bodies no longer are sinking but floating in harmony with the sea, indicating further of this spiritual rebirth. The third eye makes this awakening a collective experience, connecting them to each other and their history carried by the Atlantic. Tesfaye turns the ocean from a symbol of death into one of a return to the ocean. The third eye, alone open, represents the vision that comes after suffering–the ability to see beyond the pain and into renewal. In their return to water, the women are restored, not erased, their divine sight guiding them home.