David de la Haye

Music Postgraduate Research Student

David de la Haye is a PhD student in Music, researching ‘The Art of Freshwater Soundscapes in the Age of Remote Monitoring’.  David’s research explores gaps in understanding of freshwater soundscapes through ecological sound art, aiming to raise the cultural value of water through interdisciplinary and practice-led activities. His research interests include beyond-human listening, connections between people and landscape, digital microsound, interspecies improvisation, and immersive audio design.

Newcastle University Email: d.j.c.de-la-haye2@ncl.ac.uk

Supervisors: Dr. Rob Mackay; Dr. Bennett Hogg; Dr. Michael Jeffries.

Research Project Title: The Art of Freshwater Soundscapes in the Age of Remote Monitoring

Brief Outline of Research Project:

Acoustic ecology is increasingly used to monitor and understand the natural world, yet the sounds of freshwater habitats remain largely unknown and undocumented. This creative practice-led research uses non-invasive conservation technologies to collect acoustic data that will (a) contribute to the development of ecological sound art and (b) support knowledge exchange across arts and sciences. Examining the methods of artists who use listening as a way of understanding the world, my research traces a journey through Romanticism, immersive audio production, microsound, and aquatic ecologies, seeking to augment site-specific public experiences to find new connections to the landscape through underwater listening.

 Research Interests:

• Ecological Sound Art
• Underwater Soundscapes
• Pond bioacoustics
• Microsound
• Acoustic monitoring