Seminar 2: Leah Barclay
Resonant Ecologies, Seminar 2: Leah Barclay
Resonant Ecologies
This is a recording of the online seminar presented by Dr Leah Barclay . Visit our website for more information on the seminar, as well as other upcoming events: https://tinyurl.com/yc6wxhb4
Dr Leah Barclay is an Australian sound artist, designer, and researcher working at the intersection of art, science, and technology. Her research and creative work investigate new approaches to ecoacoustics, exploring the soundscapes of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems to inform conservation, scientific research, and public engagement. She is a specialist in underwater sound with over 15 years’ experience recording marine and freshwater ecosystems across the planet. Leah creates complex sonic environments and audio-visual works that draw attention to changing climates and fragile ecosystems. These works are realised through live performances, interactive installations, VR/AR, and site-specific experiences. Her work explores ways we can use creativity, new technologies, and emerging science to reconnect communities to place and inspire ecological awareness. Leah is the Discipline Lead of Design at the University of the Sunshine Coast, where she is also co-leading the Creative Ecologies Research Cluster, an emerging hub for interdisciplinary research that is shaping new approaches to creative practice.
This talk explores a series of recent projects in South East Queensland on Kabi Kabi and Butchulla Country that explore deep listening and environmental soundscapes to attune to the more-than-human world. Building on transdisciplinary ecoacoustic methods developed through Biosphere Soundscapes and River Listening, these works create place-based, transient listening experiences that immerse audiences in the ecological and cultural soundscapes of place. They include immersive sound walks, interactive installations, and site-responsive performances on boats where live hydrophones, weather, and tides shape the work – allowing environmental unpredictability to become a compositional collaborator. Through long-term collaborations this work bridges Indigenous knowledge systems, art, science and technology, and demonstrates how ecoacoustics can cultivate reciprocal relationships between humans and ecosystems. Here, listening becomes an act of participation, care, and connection rather than observation, an invitation to engage with living systems and evoke a deeper sense of ecological empathy through sound and creativity.