Whale Talk, experimental animated short, 5:33, 2016
A fantastical underwater view on the life and loves of a young whale, based on what we know of how sperm whales communicate.
Whale Talk envisions a poetics of the life of the sperm whale, based on the still-developing scientific understanding of the vast marine mammals. Like humans, sperm whales are social; they live in pods of females and calves, while the adult males swim solo to the farthest reaches of the globe to hunt squid. They communicate with each other through a complex “language” of patterned sonar clicks and possess unusually high auditory intelligence. Their loyalty extends to death. Integrating 3D digital animation, text, and sound, Whale Talk centers on the life of one young female sperm whale; how she conceives of the world, communicates, and loves.