Shifting Soundscapes • BBC Radio 4
2024 | Presenter, Producer & Composer
“Sound is the barometer of the health of the planet.”
It's almost 60 years since 11-year-old Martyn Stewart made his first recording near his house in Birmingham using a reel-to-reel machine borrowed from his older brother. From that day forward, he set out to capture all the natural sounds of the world, amassing nearly one hundred thousand recordings.
Now, musician and sound artist Alice Boyd retraces his steps to three locations in Britain to document how these environmental soundscapes have changed, revealing vanishing ecosystems, amplified human noise and the return of endangered species.
With archive from Martyn Stewart's library, The Listening Planet.
Location recordings and original music by Alice Boyd.
A Falling Tree production for BBC Radio 4
Broadcast on: Sunday 7th July 2024, 7:15pm and Friday 12th July 2024, 11:30pm
Photo by Tom Bright
Returning 50 Years Later
In 2025, Alice continued the project by revisiting more of Martyn Stewart’s original recording locations, exactly 50 years apart to the day.
Using Martyn Stewart’s original 1975 recordings as a guide, Alice visited three new locations - Exmoor National Park, the New Forest and the Isle of Wight - exactly 50 years later, to the day.
This video follows her as she listens for what has changed and what has remained: from birdsong and wind in the trees to the quieter traces of roads, people and shifting landscapes.
Shifting Soundscapes Live
Shifting Soundscapes has since developed into a live solo performance, weaving together field recordings, voice, synths, archive sounds and songs.
In 2026, Alice toured an early version of the show across Europe while supporting Yann Tiersen, performing a 30-minute set before his concerts. The live work expands the original documentary into a more personal and musical form - part performance, part sound essay - inviting audiences to listen closely to the changing landscapes around them.
This work was supported by Britten Pears Arts and Arts Council England.