Ethan Yoshitomo

Blue 52

Around a year ago, my mother texted me asking if I had ever heard of the whale of 52 hertz. I hadn’t, and she told me the heartbreaking yet extraordinary story of this whale of an unidentified species, drifting alone, unable to find other pods due to its communicating in an unusual frequency of 52 hertz. Most whales communicate at around 20 hertz, preventing them from hearing this whale’s calls. Dubbed “52 Blue,” this whale has been monitored in the North Pacific Ocean since the late 1980’s. The story of this whale has fascinated me ever since I first learned about it, and it has since become the title of my thesis. Blue 52 is a series of staged photographs I have taken over the past year, exploring ideas originating from the science fiction genre and how it has influenced my life and practice. Science Fiction is and always will be a speculative genre. Often, this genre explores existential themes using fictional narratives set in an alternate futuristic timeline. Common tropes or cliches that I drew inspiration from include the questioning of what it means to be human, a lone explorer in a new frontier, and the use of artificial bodies to extend oneself. Throughout my research, I have been pulling thematic, visual, and technical references from Science Fiction stories and connecting them to the whale story my mother told me. I was thinking a lot about the classic sci-fi cliche of “a lone explorer in a new frontier” and how often I felt lost during my time at OCAD, struggling to navigate and find my place as an artist here in Toronto.“I have found myself, and while I may be strange, I am content and ready to do what I want to do.” The whale is now at peace with not only its identity, but its isolation, and it shall persevere and not give up. Similar to many narratives within science fiction, much of what is known about 52 Blue is speculative. Is it really a whale? Or some sort of anomaly? Hopefully, time will tell. I have found this story to be quite inspirational, and while this creature has been around for some 40 years, it continues to call out to its kind. The whale, to me, is an explorer in an unknown frontier, holding on to the little hope it has of finding its own, its home. Throughout the last 5 years, I have persevered and found myself– my home.

“"Dear Mother,I have lost count of how many cycles it has been, though I believe you may have a better idea. Alone on my vessel, I have dueled with the simplicity of home. The paper boats that would darken before they sank. Do the children still sail them in the spring? Watching the horizon with you and father, listening to the waves crash softly, has always calmed me. Though there are no shores here.I am unsure at what point on this travel I am on, but I have reached an eclipse: a curious frequency transmitted to my vessel. It is unlike any reverberation I have trained for. It feels as though the sound were produced within my own head. I have prepared one final attempt to reach it. A kind of leap. I wish you could see the things I have seen.I will send you another message once my mission is over, though I fear I am headed closer to uncertainty than to you.Blue 52 out."”