Resonant Ecologies Residency: Listening Between Land and Sea | Exploring how sound reveals the unseen – ecological, emotional, and social patterns that connect humans with the living environment
16th – 23rd May 2026, Ardrossan – Oban, £895
Residency Overview
Sound and the ocean are inextricably linked, part of the same living system that connects land, sea, and our own sense of wellbeing. The sounds of nature shape memory and imagination, influencing how we feel and how we belong. Yet as air-breathing creatures, we rarely pause to listen, even though our activities profoundly affect the soundscapes of the sea and the creatures that depend on them.
Just as forest bathing invites us to slow down and attune to the sensory world of the woods, and Blue Mind describes the calming influence of water on the human brain, this residency invites participants to listen deeply and to explore how sound connects ecology, psychology and emotion.
This week as we sail north from the Clyde into the Hebrides, we are joined by science communicator, artist, and radio and podcast producer Chloe Russell, whose interdisciplinary practice explores the intersections of art, science and storytelling.
This residency builds upon Chloe’s 2020 Science Communication MSc research question: “How can we use sonification to create connections to the environment?”, evolving it into a collective inquiry:
“How can shared listening and sonification deepen our connection between land and sea?”
Hosted aboard Sail Britain’s research vessel Merlin and co-led with founder and skipper Oliver Beardon, this week-long art and science residency will invite interdisciplinary practitioners to explore the power of sound as a bridge between human experience and the natural world. The project will weave together sound, storytelling, and science communication, transforming the boat into both a research station and a creative studio.
Drawing upon Sail Britain’s ongoing research with Glasgow University into ocean acoustic mapping and marine habitat diversity, participants will have the opportunity to listen live through Merlin’s hydrophones to the lesser-heard soundscapes of the ocean. Together, we will learn how marine creatures use sound to hunt, communicate, and navigate, and reflect on our relationship with this fascinating underwater ecology.
Like all our projects, it will also be a hands-on sailing experience as we navigate wind and tide, learning to work together as a team to sail the boat. It’s a brilliant social space and great environment to learn teamwork with your fellow crew. No experience is required, we’ll teach you everything you need to know!
Residency Focus
- Sound as connection: Using sound as a medium to translate scientific, emotional, and environmental data into story.
- Sonification and storytelling: Building on Chloe’s previous sonified-narrative podcast Kalerrâ (created aboard a sailing vessel), the residency will experiment with new forms of audio storytelling that merge data with creative composition.
- Nature, immersion, and Blue Mind: Exploring the psychology of being on water through immersive sound and sensory ecology.
- Collective creation: Participants will have the opportunity to document, reflect, and co-create sound pieces and written observations.
Thematic Anchors
- Acoustic Ecology: Listening as method and research practice.
- Virtual Nature & Wellbeing: Investigating the restorative effects of natural soundscapes.
- Data to Sound: Transforming real-time marine or environmental data into sonified art.
- Storytelling Circles: Exploring identity, belonging, and the emotional resonance of water.
Potential Outputs
- Collaborative sound artwork or short podcast — a collective sonic narrative of the voyage recorded onboard Merlin.
- Listening Logbook / Zine — blending field notes, sound maps, and reflections.
- Integration into An Audience with the Land & Sea Media Hub — an emerging platform co-created by Chloe, as a pilot residency connecting oceanic and terrestrial storytelling.
Application Process:
We ask applicants to submit a brief introduction to their work and their motivation for applying for the residency, including relevant themes in their work and how taking part will be beneficial for their practice. This should be no more than one page of A4 of text, with additionally up to 5 images or other supporting documentation such as links to video, sound, etc. as an emailed PDF. This is so that we can learn a bit about you, and to ensure that applicants will get as much as possible out of the programme.
Applications should be sent to info@sailbritain.org, subject – ‘Resonant Ecologies Residency Application + [your name]’
The deadline for applications is Saturday 31st January 2026, but applicants are encouraged to apply as soon as possible.
Funding
This is a self-funded residency, as Sail Britain has no external support, but we have a good record of applicants making successful external funding applications to support their places, and we are very happy to write in support of these once we have received your application. Please let us know if this would be helpful, and see this page for suggestions on funding your place
Also have a look at our FAQs page for an insight into life onboard
For any questions about the programme, please send us an email – info@sailbritain.org
Practical information:
- Start point – Ardrossan (The crew will send details with exactly where to find Merlin on the day of arrival)
- Start time – Saturday 16th May, 6pm
- End point – Oban
- End time – Saturday 23rd May, 9am
What’s included:
- Fully equipped yacht and professional crew
- 7 nights accommodation onboard
- All meals for the week
- All safety equipment and training
What’s not included
- Your travel to and from the start/end points of the voyage
- Travel insurance
- Any expenses ashore, although these tend to be very limited out in the wilds!
- Materials for your practice / research