For All At Last Return: Deep Dives

Artist Rob Smith,  joined by Dr Will Reid to discus the histories and futures of deep-sea mining of polymetallic nodules and the recent discovery of ‘dark oxygen’ on the ocean floor, which has called into question how life began on Earth.

Rob Smith is a British artist and researcher based in Newcastle who is currently exhibiting his work in Baltic's group exhibition, For All At Last Return. His work explores human relationships with marine environments, and the ways digital technologies can materialise these remote and inaccessible places. Smith's practice aims to develop new understandings and narratives for the deep sea in the context of climate change. He is currently a member of the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) research project Visualising the Deep Sea in the Age of Climate Change, working alongside scientists, historians, and artists to question how technological mediation both reveals and obscures the ocean’s depths.

Dr Will Reid is a marine biologist working at Newcastle University. His work focuses on understanding where certain animals live, their behaviours and what they are eating in deep sea and Antarctic habitats. Reid has been involved in numerous deep-sea expeditions including exploring areas of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge and was part of the first expedition to sample hydrothermal vents in the Southern Ocean. His current research focuses on Southern Ocean fauna from understanding biodiversity at methane seeps to what fish are caught as bycatch in active fisheries.