Invite your students to be among the first to experience this exciting new storyworld by joining our next free Lyfta live lesson on 17th or 18th June. Sessions take place at 11am or 2pm each day. Find out more and secure your place here"
Kerri is a bio-acoustician, which means she studies the sounds made by marine wildlife -whales, dolphins, fish - and the profound effects of human-generated noise on their lives. Her work is a blend of science, technology and deep empathy; a mission to listen to the deep and amplify the voices of the creatures who call it home.
Listening to the Deep is a cinematic and character-led journey; one that rests on a critical environmental issue, but that avoids overwhelming the audience about the facts that underpin it. We wanted to take the audience on a journey of learning, to create curiosity and intrigue through a carefully crafted human story.
Armed with hydrophones, dive gear and data loggers, Kerri and her small team plunge into the warm waters off the Pacific coast to monitor the soundscape of one of the world’s most biodiverse marine environments. They’re not just there to capture whale songs and dolphin clicks, they’re searching for something much rarer: silence.
Human activity, from shipping routes and underwater construction to oil exploration, is turning the world’s oceans into a loud and disorienting place for marine life. For animals that rely on sound to communicate, navigate, and survive, this invisible pollution is as deadly as any oil spill or plastic waste.
But how do you protect something you can’t see? That’s the question that drives Kerri’s research.
By collecting and presenting data on how noise pollution disrupts critical behaviours, like whale migration and mating calls, Kerri hopes to influence environmental policy, secure vital marine conservation zones, and inspire a new generation of scientists and advocates.
Set against the dramatic backdrop of Colombia’s Pacific rainforest and the rolling rhythms of the sea, Searching for Silence invites students to explore the ocean’s hidden symphony and consider the role we all play in preserving it.
Through Kerri’s story, students discover the power of curiosity, determination, and scientific inquiry. They are encouraged to reflect on the impact of human actions, the importance of conservation, and the value of listening to the natural world.
In this storyworld, for the first time in Lyfta’s history, you’ll also be able to dive underwater in our 360° scene and 360° video with Kerri and her team!
Explore our new storyworld ‘Searching for Silence’ with some useful hints and tips on how to start teaching with it.
Watch our storyworld walkthrough above. In this short video, you’ll learn how to navigate the Searching for Silence storyworld, explore its media-rich content, and find inspiration for meaningful discussions on identity and inclusion.
What do you think of the Searching for Silence storyworld? Share your thoughts on X by clicking here.
Explore Searching for Silence and the related resources on the platform now.
