Fenland Conversations
Fenland Conversations is an immersive sound project that transforms our ecological research into a living, audible landscape. We are working with CLIP Sound and Music, drawing on fieldwork, research, community knowledge and creative practice to explore the interconnections between biodiversity, people and place.
Read CLIPs article on the project here
We are also developing a community-led digital map in collaboration with Public Map (Department of Architecture, University of Cambridge), which will weave together locations, interviews, community contributions and research.
The Fens are distinct in sound as much as by sight, from birds, water, machinery, and weather to the voices of the people who know the land best. This project listens closely to all of it. Recordings drawn from ecological research, lived experience and local memory build an evolving sound map of a landscape in change, exploring what the future looks like and who shapes it.
The Work So Far
A rich and diverse collection of field recordings and in-depth conversations has now been gathered with researchers, land workers and people connected to the Centre for Landscape Regeneration. Alongside these are recordings of the Fens, capturing the landscape, weather, nature, environment and the diverse communities that live there.
These recordings are extraordinary. They capture not just sound, but ways of knowing and caring for the Fens heard alongside research. They form the foundation of everything that follows.
We are happy to share one of the first recordings produced for the project by CLR researcher Dr Josh Copping from the RSPB. In it, Josh discusses the birds of the Fens and how the landscape’s soundscape may change. The conversation considers nature recovery, land use, and the potential for shifting farmland towards more natural habitats. He also reflects on experiencing the landscape through birdsong, weather, and attentive listening.
LISTEN HERE ON SOUNDCLOUD
With Fenland Communities
This project is rooted in the communities and landscapes of the Fens. Farmers, land workers, residents and local voices are not simply participants; they are shaping the story being told.
Fenland Conversations exists to reflect lived experience alongside research: to create something that feels recognisable, relevant and returnable to the places it comes from. It will open conversation around shared futures and the long-term stewardship of this remarkable landscape.
Grounded in nature recovery research and informed by local stories, memories and imagination, the project translates environmental data and fieldwork into a layered sonic experience. It creates space for dialogue between scientists, artists, communities and policymakers, exploring how landscapes might recover, how biodiversity can be restored, and how communities contribute to these processes.
The project is intentionally open-ended, growing through collaboration and ongoing exchange, with opportunities to listen, contribute and take part developed through events, recordings and local collaborations. Please get in touch if you’d like to be involved.
What's Coming
Fenland Conversations is part of an ongoing dynamic collaboration. It will culminate in a series of interconnected outputs which could include:
- Podcasts and audio storytelling
- Radio broadcasts
- Public events and community conversations in the Fens and in Cambridge
- An immersive sound installation
- Creative collaborations and workshops
- A digital public map
This page will be updated as new work emerges.
If you would like to discuss potential outcomes, please contact us.
Get Your Voice Heard
We are currently interviewing people across the Fens.
We want your voice to be part of this project. Whether you farm the land, research it, live alongside it or simply visit, your knowledge and experience matters.
Get in touch to find out how to take part.
Fenland Conversations was commissioned by Poppy Szaybo, CLR’s Education, Community Engagement and Inclusion Manager, and is a collaboration between the CLR, CLIP Sound and Music, and Public Map (Department of Architecture, University of Cambridge).
