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Mapping the Line 

On the R/V Falkor, the monitors sync up and display incoming real-time data of the ship identifying our location, movement, and other elemental data. I was intrigued by a line on the monitor that was steadily generating high-resolution imagery of the seafloor directly beneath us, this process of mapping called multi-beam sonar bathymetry. 

It is this moment of the reveal with the mapping line that I find interesting. The art symbolizes the moment when the complexities and mysteries of the ocean floor are revealed to scientists through powerful technology. Presenting this artwork to the scientists was a way for us to see the mapping technique manifested in something other than a computer screen. And it offered ceremony and a connection to culture. 


Read more about the Moment of the Reveal on Schmidt Ocean Institute's cruise log. 
 

Abstract Art of Bathymetry Mapping

"Mapping the Line, no1", 2019, acrylic on canvas, 20 x 16"

" In her Mapping the Line series, Ferguson captured this process of discovery through abstract art."

Carolyn Beans / Science Writer 
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

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