Alex South
@amsouth.bsky.social
Musician and researcher thinking about animal musicking, bioacoustics, and human-animal relations mediated through sound. As a performer I play and improvise with other humans too!
Short audio paper out now on deep listening to migratory whales in our changing underwater environments. Reposting with hashtags! #MarineMammals #ecomusicology #envhum #bioacoustics 🐋
Sounding migrations
Deep listening and the acoustic phenology of whale song
seismograf.org
October 10, 2025 at 9:59 AM
Short audio paper out now on deep listening to migratory whales in our changing underwater environments. Reposting with hashtags! #MarineMammals #ecomusicology #envhum #bioacoustics 🐋
Very happy to have my 'Sounding migrations: Deep listening and the acoustic phenology of whale song' published in this brilliant collection of audio papers from Seismograf Peer. Do have a listen and let me know what you think!
seismograf.org/fokus/sound-...
seismograf.org/fokus/sound-...
Sound and the More-Than-Human Worlds
19 audio papers on sound, technology, and listening beyond the human
seismograf.org
September 26, 2025 at 2:00 PM
Very happy to have my 'Sounding migrations: Deep listening and the acoustic phenology of whale song' published in this brilliant collection of audio papers from Seismograf Peer. Do have a listen and let me know what you think!
seismograf.org/fokus/sound-...
seismograf.org/fokus/sound-...
Great short article out from @sebnemsaraeva.bsky.social, asking important ethical questions about possible interspecies human-whale communication, from the perspective of translation studies. "Most importantly, who will be the translators and interpreters in human-whale encounters?" #bioacoustics
mothrights.org
September 19, 2025 at 2:00 PM
Great short article out from @sebnemsaraeva.bsky.social, asking important ethical questions about possible interspecies human-whale communication, from the perspective of translation studies. "Most importantly, who will be the translators and interpreters in human-whale encounters?" #bioacoustics
'Keening - Song of the Stranding' album launched today to commemorate the mass stranding of pilot whales that occurred in Lewis in July 2023. Please have a listen! Musical collaboration with @nordicviola.bsky.social and Nerea Bello.
alexsouth.bandcamp.com/album/keenin...
alexsouth.bandcamp.com/album/keenin...
Keening - Song of the Stranding, by Keening - Song of the Stranding
3 track album
alexsouth.bandcamp.com
August 30, 2025 at 1:48 PM
'Keening - Song of the Stranding' album launched today to commemorate the mass stranding of pilot whales that occurred in Lewis in July 2023. Please have a listen! Musical collaboration with @nordicviola.bsky.social and Nerea Bello.
alexsouth.bandcamp.com/album/keenin...
alexsouth.bandcamp.com/album/keenin...
Reposted by Alex South
A collaboration between me, @amsouth.bsky.social & Lesley Harrison, performed at @rethinkingfable.bsky.social (www.rethinking-fables.org.uk). Lesley & Alex weave together pieces by me and Alex and a poem by Lesley to create a new fable, "The Gannet and the Whale". www.youtube.com/watch?v=r55d...
The Gannet and the Whale (May 24, 2025, Rethinking Fables)
YouTube video by Kaori Nagai
www.youtube.com
August 25, 2025 at 2:30 PM
A collaboration between me, @amsouth.bsky.social & Lesley Harrison, performed at @rethinkingfable.bsky.social (www.rethinking-fables.org.uk). Lesley & Alex weave together pieces by me and Alex and a poem by Lesley to create a new fable, "The Gannet and the Whale". www.youtube.com/watch?v=r55d...
Here's a short blog I wrote for @iashedinburgh.bsky.social about a recent visit to @hias-hamburg.bsky.social. Had some fun sharing ideas about artistic research with a fabulous group of NetIAS scholars from across Europe. www.iash.ed.ac.uk/news/what-do...
What do we mean by Artistic Research if we really mean it? | IASH
www.iash.ed.ac.uk
July 7, 2025 at 3:54 PM
Here's a short blog I wrote for @iashedinburgh.bsky.social about a recent visit to @hias-hamburg.bsky.social. Had some fun sharing ideas about artistic research with a fabulous group of NetIAS scholars from across Europe. www.iash.ed.ac.uk/news/what-do...
Happy that "The Fox" is back in the water again, heading north to Orkney in September with a preview performance in Dunblane 31 August.
The Voyage of The Fox with poetry by Lesley Harrison and music by me and @amsouth.bsky.social is in Dunblane on 31st Aug before we take it to Orkney Science Festival. Tickets very limited so get them now! www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-voyage... @newmusicscotland.bsky.social @dunblaneinfo.bsky.social
July 7, 2025 at 3:43 PM
Happy that "The Fox" is back in the water again, heading north to Orkney in September with a preview performance in Dunblane 31 August.
Great to hear that the Multispecies Sound and Movement Study Group has been approved as an official study group of the International Council for Traditions of Music and Dance. Further, that the study group board will be curating a special issue of the AAWM Journal of Music and Nature. CFP below.
April 14, 2025 at 2:51 PM
Great to hear that the Multispecies Sound and Movement Study Group has been approved as an official study group of the International Council for Traditions of Music and Dance. Further, that the study group board will be curating a special issue of the AAWM Journal of Music and Nature. CFP below.
Reposted by Alex South
Our #zoomusicology #animalwelfare paper "Playing music to animals," co-authored by Pralle Kriengwatana, @amsouth.bsky.social, Martin Ullrich, @ruedinager.bsky.social and me is now open access. This has been such a great team to work with & fun paper to write!
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Playing music to animals: an interdisciplinary approach to improving our understanding of animals' responses to music
Humans have profoundly changed the global soundscape. Studying how nonhuman animals respond to music can contribute to a better understanding of the e…
www.sciencedirect.com
February 25, 2025 at 1:51 PM
Our #zoomusicology #animalwelfare paper "Playing music to animals," co-authored by Pralle Kriengwatana, @amsouth.bsky.social, Martin Ullrich, @ruedinager.bsky.social and me is now open access. This has been such a great team to work with & fun paper to write!
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
This looks like an interesting paper on cultural evolution, in that it moves the focus away from more-or-less passive consumers. However, let's not forget that in many cultures (including Western subcultures), the dominant model of 'production' vs 'consumption' is far less relevant.
Maybe an interesting link between the fact that we find difficult to give artistic credit to AI and the idea of looking at cultural products from the producers' point of view as in www.cambridge.org/core/journal...
Cultural evolution from the producers’ standpoint | Evolutionary Human Sciences | Cambridge Core
Cultural evolution from the producers’ standpoint - Volume 5
www.cambridge.org
February 10, 2025 at 3:17 PM
This looks like an interesting paper on cultural evolution, in that it moves the focus away from more-or-less passive consumers. However, let's not forget that in many cultures (including Western subcultures), the dominant model of 'production' vs 'consumption' is far less relevant.
Super-excited to be performing in UNESCO's #WeekOfSound in Edinburgh next Monday with Una MacGlone. Composed/improvised musics inspired by sounds and environments #BeneathTheWaves. University West Court 7pm. digital.eca.ed.ac.uk/weekofsound/...
February 10, 2025 at 3:11 PM
Super-excited to be performing in UNESCO's #WeekOfSound in Edinburgh next Monday with Una MacGlone. Composed/improvised musics inspired by sounds and environments #BeneathTheWaves. University West Court 7pm. digital.eca.ed.ac.uk/weekofsound/...
Very excited to be part of the next phase of this project led by writer @rebeccasharp.bsky.social. Music very much inspired by important places in the legend of Tenew/Thaney, including Traprain Law, Aberlady Bay, and Culross #TheBorders #CreativeScotland.
February 5, 2025 at 3:29 PM
Very excited to be part of the next phase of this project led by writer @rebeccasharp.bsky.social. Music very much inspired by important places in the legend of Tenew/Thaney, including Traprain Law, Aberlady Bay, and Culross #TheBorders #CreativeScotland.
Great to see our interdisciplinary paper on music and animal welfare out in the journal Animal Behaviour. Very much a team effort with @emilydoolittle.bsky.social, @ruedinager.bsky.social and Martin Ullrich, steered by Pralle Kriengwatana. authors.elsevier.com/a/1kYdDmjMA3XG
February 4, 2025 at 4:58 PM
Great to see our interdisciplinary paper on music and animal welfare out in the journal Animal Behaviour. Very much a team effort with @emilydoolittle.bsky.social, @ruedinager.bsky.social and Martin Ullrich, steered by Pralle Kriengwatana. authors.elsevier.com/a/1kYdDmjMA3XG
So pleased that 'Keening - Song of the Stranding' has been given the green light, thanks to funders Creative Scotland, the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland Make It Happen Fund, and the Hope Scott Trust. Some details here, more to follow! #SongOfTheStranding @nordicviola.bsky.social
National Lottery & Scottish Government Funding Inspires Artistic Connection in Outer Hebrides
As Creative Scotland announces the latest the round of National Lottery and Scottish Government-backed Open Fund Awards, the islands of the Outer Hebrides continue to be an invaluable source of inspir...
creativescot-newsroom.prgloo.com
January 30, 2025 at 1:47 PM
So pleased that 'Keening - Song of the Stranding' has been given the green light, thanks to funders Creative Scotland, the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland Make It Happen Fund, and the Hope Scott Trust. Some details here, more to follow! #SongOfTheStranding @nordicviola.bsky.social
This lovely programme discusses the killer whale populations in the waters around the Shetland Islands, and the vocalizations they use. Nice to hear one of my PhD supervisors @emilydoolittle.bsky.social 🐋https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m0026w74
Beyond the Briggistanes - 16/01/2025 - BBC Sounds
Exploring Shetland's natural heritage, environment issues and out of doors activities.
www.bbc.co.uk
January 29, 2025 at 11:20 PM
This lovely programme discusses the killer whale populations in the waters around the Shetland Islands, and the vocalizations they use. Nice to hear one of my PhD supervisors @emilydoolittle.bsky.social 🐋https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m0026w74
Over the past c.20 years @rothenbird.bsky.social has done more than just about anyone to draw public attention to the musicality of the sounds of whales. My review of his 'Whale Music' is out now in the Journal of Interdisciplinary Voice Studies doi.org/10.1386/jivs... 🐋#cetaceancitations
Whale Music, David Rothenberg (2023) | Intellect
Review of: Whale Music, David Rothenberg (2023)
Cambridge, MA: Terra Nova Press, 376 pp.,
ISBN 978-1-94959-725-7, p/bk, $27.95
doi.org
January 29, 2025 at 5:19 PM
Over the past c.20 years @rothenbird.bsky.social has done more than just about anyone to draw public attention to the musicality of the sounds of whales. My review of his 'Whale Music' is out now in the Journal of Interdisciplinary Voice Studies doi.org/10.1386/jivs... 🐋#cetaceancitations
Wonderful to see that the Ocean has been elected to be a Trustee on the board of the Scottish Association for Marine Science, in an attempt to shift the dial further away from anthropocentric attitudes. Highly relevant to the #MOTH project (MOre Than Human rights). #SAMS #CetaceanCitations
The Ocean enters the boardroom
'Ocean trustee' election is a
www.sams.ac.uk
January 24, 2025 at 11:35 AM
Wonderful to see that the Ocean has been elected to be a Trustee on the board of the Scottish Association for Marine Science, in an attempt to shift the dial further away from anthropocentric attitudes. Highly relevant to the #MOTH project (MOre Than Human rights). #SAMS #CetaceanCitations
New study out of humpback whale paternity patterns in a South Pacific population recovering from intensive whaling. I was particularly interested to read that these results suggest higher levels of interchange between populations than previous estimates.🐋
New paper on "Patterns of paternity: insights into mating competition and gene flow in a recovering population of humpback whales." 🐋🧬
royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/...
@emma-carroll.bsky.social @lrendell.bsky.social @ellengarland.bsky.social @seamammalresearch.bsky.social 1/8
royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/...
@emma-carroll.bsky.social @lrendell.bsky.social @ellengarland.bsky.social @seamammalresearch.bsky.social 1/8
January 24, 2025 at 8:54 AM
New study out of humpback whale paternity patterns in a South Pacific population recovering from intensive whaling. I was particularly interested to read that these results suggest higher levels of interchange between populations than previous estimates.🐋
Interesting paper out examining the ethics of human intervention designed to reduce suffering in wild animals.
This looks interesting: #philsky #philsci #animalstudies #envhum 🌎🦤
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
"The paper attempts to show that the arguments for the validity of interventionism are based on partially erroneous assumptions and questionable conclusions...
link.springer.com/article/10.1...
"The paper attempts to show that the arguments for the validity of interventionism are based on partially erroneous assumptions and questionable conclusions...
Interventionism as a dangerously anthropocentric concept - Biology & Philosophy
The article presents and critically discusses the concept of environmental interventionism, which treats interference in the functioning of ecosystems to protect free-living animals from suffering as ...
link.springer.com
January 23, 2025 at 4:03 PM
Interesting paper out examining the ethics of human intervention designed to reduce suffering in wild animals.
Beautiful textures here!
Photos from a recce for a wee shoot I'm hoping to do soon as part of a poetry film project with @rebeccasharp.bsky.social and @amsouth.bsky.social
The sculpture is The Bridge by the late Ron Martin. Original title "Bridging the Gap Between..." Thanks to Botanic Gardens Dundee for allowing access.
The sculpture is The Bridge by the late Ron Martin. Original title "Bridging the Gap Between..." Thanks to Botanic Gardens Dundee for allowing access.
December 17, 2024 at 8:11 AM
Beautiful textures here!
Planning on learning this great piece by @emilydoolittle.bsky.social soon! Details to follow.
Emily Doolittle’s ‘Gannetry’, for clarinet and electronics, has been selected for the ISCM World Music Days, taking place in Porto next year!
@emilydoolittle.bsky.social
Find out more and listen to the work here:
whatsnew.composersedition.com/doolittle-at...
@emilydoolittle.bsky.social
Find out more and listen to the work here:
whatsnew.composersedition.com/doolittle-at...
December 14, 2024 at 5:54 PM
Planning on learning this great piece by @emilydoolittle.bsky.social soon! Details to follow.
There's a great compilation of online resources for music scholarship (including journals) at H-Music (a branch of @h-net-humanities.bsky.social ) networks.h-net.org/h-music
H-Music | H-Net
networks.h-net.org
December 14, 2024 at 5:50 PM
There's a great compilation of online resources for music scholarship (including journals) at H-Music (a branch of @h-net-humanities.bsky.social ) networks.h-net.org/h-music
My first sight of my hardbound thesis #cetaceancitations. The wonderful @lrendell.bsky.social has had a busy year of steering PhD studentships into safe harbours (in some cases not quite the destinations originally envisaged!)
I wouldn't neccesarily recommend graduating 4 PhDs in a year, it definitely wasn't planned that way! Still, pretty chuffed to see them all finally stacked up. Epic efforts by @nataliewildlife @dagmarmadillo.bsky.social, @francae.bsky.social and @amsouth.bsky.social! 🦑🧪
July 12, 2024 at 2:14 PM
My first sight of my hardbound thesis #cetaceancitations. The wonderful @lrendell.bsky.social has had a busy year of steering PhD studentships into safe harbours (in some cases not quite the destinations originally envisaged!)
Slightly misleading headline, but health/stress indicators in this humpback whale population showed 2021 was a better year than 2020.
In original paper authors are careful not to link this with any specific anthropogenic factors. Longer datasets required methinks! #marinemammals 🐳
In original paper authors are careful not to link this with any specific anthropogenic factors. Longer datasets required methinks! #marinemammals 🐳
Research finds humpbacks were happier during pandemic pause
University of Queensland-led research has found migrating humpback whales off Australia's east coast became less stressed over the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. The research paper is published ...
phys.org
July 8, 2024 at 7:13 AM
Slightly misleading headline, but health/stress indicators in this humpback whale population showed 2021 was a better year than 2020.
In original paper authors are careful not to link this with any specific anthropogenic factors. Longer datasets required methinks! #marinemammals 🐳
In original paper authors are careful not to link this with any specific anthropogenic factors. Longer datasets required methinks! #marinemammals 🐳
Interesting-looking paper on Bergson's view on animal consciousness, and implications for the scientific study of animal creativity/inventiveness/innovation in animal cultures.
It's in French so I'll need to put time aside to read it.
It's in French so I'll need to put time aside to read it.
New paper online ! Open access. On Bergson and animal studies 😃
rivista.thaumazein.it/index.php/th...
#Bergson #animalphilosophy #animalstudies #animalbehaviour #philsci #philbio
rivista.thaumazein.it/index.php/th...
#Bergson #animalphilosophy #animalstudies #animalbehaviour #philsci #philbio
July 4, 2024 at 4:34 PM
Interesting-looking paper on Bergson's view on animal consciousness, and implications for the scientific study of animal creativity/inventiveness/innovation in animal cultures.
It's in French so I'll need to put time aside to read it.
It's in French so I'll need to put time aside to read it.