Shifting Soundscapes is a radio piece created by Alice Boyd, tracing the sound recordings of legendary field recordist Martyn Stewart.

Alice followed in Martyn’s footsteps, going to the same locations that Martyn recorded in 50 years ago to see how the sounds of these environments have changed over the last 50 years. We hear in these soundscapes how our soundscapes of change as a result of social activity. We hear a marked difference in the volume and diversity of birdsong, traffic and human activity.

“Sound is a barometer for the health of the planet” – Martyn Stewart

Alice’s project is a testament to listening and audio as a way to ground ourselves in the natural world which we call home.

The radio becomes a space within itself, within which we have a moment of pause to consider our relationship to sound, the natural world, and creates a moment of pause, calm and reflection. It helps us to slow down, pause, and reflect.

It is a reflection on the unique nature of sound to help us “time travel”, to immediately bring us into relation with our environments and reflect on how they are changing.

You can see an insight into Alice’s process here:

Alice brings a sense of hope, by telling real stories of successful conservation efforts to bring back species of birds, like the Bittern, which has been brought back from the brink of extinction over the past 30 years.

She reflects on how she hopes there are more stories like the Bittern, but that she can see things going in another direction. Nature is a place of joy, and is what sustains us. If we allow our current patterns to continue, we will continue to destroy our only home. In another 50 years, what will we hear? The thought is urgent, and reminds us that we can’t continue along our current path.

It served as inspiration for what I wanted to do with this radio art project, telling real stories about the environment (rivers, more specifically in the case of my project) and using sound to reflect on how we have listened to them, how we are listening to them and how we can listen to them better in the future.

References:

Shifting Soundscapes (2024) BBC Radio 4, 7 July, 19:15. Available at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m0020xm2 (Accessed: 23 April 2026).