Shipping Lullaby
2024
MA Graphic Communication Design, Central Saint MartinsSculpture \ Installation \ Academic \ Print
The BBC Shipping Forecast on Radio 4 is a weather forecast for people out and about in the sea surrounding the British isles. My exploration starts from its historical context, and how it's used today.
It started out after a disastrous day in the sea in the mid 19th century where hundreds of people and boats perished because of a big storm. Ever since, the forecast has been created as a lifeline for vessels to venture safely out in the sea around the British Isles.
Its soothing and meditative, and almost poetic, qualities of the forecast creates a niche where common people use it to go to sleep. The BBC Radio app even has a sleep timer, accommodating this sub-culture.
Concept and References
Based on Foucault's discussion in the preface of his book, "The Order of Things", he demonstrates that the act of classification, or in this case, cataloguing, is based on the cultural context that governs the language used to neatly create connections and differences in things. Using this premise, I attempted to catalogue the forecast recordings based on the sleeper culture. How will the recordings be categorized if categorized by casual listeners wanting to go to sleep quicker?
The human qualities of the forecast readings is key to the soothing effect overlaying the almost robotic and rhythmical codified language of the Shipping forecast. So I focused on highlighting these usually marginalized and ignored little human moments, from as little as each breath, to stutters and coughs. To contrast it, I created glyphs representing each weather symbols into a modified Interstate typeface.
The BBC Shipping Forecast recordings can be listened to on demand on the BBC radio app. Mainly used for sailors to navigate the weather, there has been a sub-group using the recordings to aid them to sleep. The gentle human qualities on top of the mechanical coded language gives feelings of soothing, relaxation, and reassurance.There is a structure the forecast uses to convey information in a condensed manner, giving it a mechanical and coded atmosphere. Emotionally, it evokes a sense of authority, safety, and protection.Taking the lullaby as a concept, I looked to tools that are usually used to help children fall asleep, such as hanging toys or glow-in-the-dark stars that are stuck on the ceiling. These things have something in common: they can be looked at while asleep, staring at each other until you fall asleep.The coded language reminds me of telegrams using morse codes. Before radio, they were also used on ships for communication, which fit the themeThe forecasts aid sailors to know which waters to avoid and which are safe to traverse. After a massive storm in 1924, the Shipping Forecast was founded so ships know upcoming dangers, and making sure it never happens again.
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