I’m a sculptural choreographer who harnesses the sounds of nature to tell stories that move people, literally and figuratively.
As a field recordist and livestreamer, I can be found pounding the landscape of nature reserves and sites of rewilding, chattering with passers-by. I document biodiversity through tracking the changing soundscapes as rewilding progresses and nature reserves mature.
As a soundscape composer I create sonic journeys across time, telling stories of hope, drawing on the rhythms and musicality of the sounds of nature, with occasional electro-acoustic twists.
My passion is creating immersive affecting nature soundscape experiences for all – often involving movement/dance – that participants find freeing, thrilling, joyous. They bring people closer to nature, closer to each other.
Moving with Nightingales
At a special Lates event at Pallant House Gallery on March 6th 2025 I’m delighted to be delivering Moving with Nightingales, a sound and movement workshop in collaboration with dance facilitator Rosaria Gracia and students of Chichester University dance department. Soundscapes are composed from my field recordings of the Knepp nightingales. This event is inspired by Maggi Hambling’s new exhibition – Nightingale Nights – at Pallant House Gallery, Chichester. These extraordinary paintings are based on her experience of joining folk singer Sam Lee in pitch darkness in the Knepp scrubland to listen to the nightingales. BOOK HERE!
Soundscapes of Hope
Two projects emerged (2022-23) – Layback with Nature & Sculptural Murmurings (II) – transforming Sculptural Murmurings (II)my creative practice to one centred on sound, connecting people to nature and the audio stories of hope emerging from wild havens, such as the Knepp Wildland and the nature reserves of Sweden.
Sculptural Murmurings (I)
Sculptural Murmurings is a collaborative multidisciplinary playful sound and movement project delivered as part of my residency at Fabrica Brighton (2021) drawing on my field recordings during my residency at Knepp Estate (2021). 16 dancers, whose bodies have stories to tell, improvise to soundscapes of nature over headphones, to create unique bird-like yet human murmurings. Supported by Arts Council England.
Knepp Dawn
This collaboration with composer Damian Montagu was a pure joy. Knepp Dawn was released on International Dawn Chorus Day 2024, with an interview with me on Radio 4’s Today programme. Stream here. As part of the exhibition, Inspired by Knepp (May 2024), I created 14 soundscapes with videos on YouTube, including this one below.
Knepp Wildland artist residency
Soundscape recording-focused residency (2021), tracking the dawn chorus in the scrubland across spring, with some obsessive recording of nightingales (with field recording ongoing since 2020, supported by Arts Council England).
The residency’s performative element – #LoveScrubland – challenges the demonising of scrubland: painting the arcs of bramble with clay slip; bringing dance and movement artist Maria da Luz and film-maker Olga Saavedra Montes de Oca to respond to the Knepp scrubland at dawn.