Issue 17 of Ubuntu Magazine is now out, and I’m especially pleased to share a piece I contributed that may resonate with members who are interested in the intersection of art and conservation.

In this article, I step away slightly from my more academic writing to explore a different kind of narrative, one that unfolds through sound, space, and sensory experience. At its core is Symphony for Endangered Birds, a work by Dutch-Italian composer and sound designer Aimée Portioli.

The piece, which was exhibited in Germany last year, invites audiences into an immersive sonic experience where sound becomes a medium for ecological awareness. Rather than presenting conservation through data or imagery alone, Portioli’s work asks us to listen, to engage with the presence and absence of endangered bird species in a deeply emotional and embodied way.

The article is built around a conversation with Aimée, tracing how nature has shaped her artistic practice and how working on this composition transformed her own relationship with listening. It is, in many ways, a story about paying attention, about what it means to truly hear the natural world, and how art and music can shift our perception of it.

There is also a thread of grief and hope throughout the work. Grief for what is being lost, but hope in the possibility that creative practices can reach audiences in ways that traditional conservation narratives sometimes cannot. It speaks to the idea that protecting the natural world is not only a scientific or political endeavour, but also a cultural and emotional one.

You can read the full article here: https://issuu.com/ubuntumagazine/docs/ubuntu_magazine_spring_2026/66 

For those curious to experience more of this work beyond the written word, a short documentary on Aimée’s exhibition offers a glimpse into the installation and her broader approach to this piece. See below: