Maine Maritime Museum is launching a new exhibition, “Lost and Found: Sounds of the Maine Coast,” that investigates the significant role of sound in maritime environments.

The exhibit will feature topics such as navigational aids from buoys to foghorns — both past and present. It will investigate the idea of “lost” and “found” maritime sounds and invite visitors to reflect on how sound affects our individual and collective memory.

Working within the museum’s collection of over 20,000 artifacts, Portland-based sound artist Dianne Ballon captured sounds from devices that were once common along Maine’s busy waterways; the technology that once guided vessels back to safety. Many of these systems have fallen out of favor in the digital age of satellites and automations.

Ballon’s sound recordings provide a unique opportunity to step back in time and access a different kind of sensory memory: the sound of the Maine coast as it once was. Many of these objects will be displayed alongside their recordings.

“This exhibition explores how over time, the man-made and environmental sounds of the Maine coast have evolved.” said Catherine Cyr, associate curator at Maine Maritime Museum. “At Maine Maritime Museum, it is our mission to connect people to the past, present and future of Maine’s waterways and this exhibition showcases another aspect to consider.”

Additionally, on display are Ballon’s field recordings of coastal sounds. This includes the sounds of working harbors, boatyards, and the buoys in Casco Bay, and other overlooked soundscapes found in the current maritime environment. This exhibition builds upon Ballon’s existing library of work in cultural institutions and broadcast media.

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