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The Journey of Birds
With biologist Eloïsa Matheu and flutist Barbara Held
Activity as part of Social Fest Bcn 2025, with prior registration required
Language: Catalan and Spanish
Within the framework of this performance, biologist and sound recordist Eloïsa Matheu, together with flutist and sound artist Barbara Held, will share their experiences of listening to nature, showing how science and art intertwine to shed light on a universal phenomenon: bird migration.
Few natural phenomena spark as much fascination as bird migration. It is a universal process, easily observable and yet still full of mysteries and questions. It is an ancestral journey, also shared by humankind throughout history. In the case of birds, this movement is guided by the cycle of the seasons: leaving certain territories and moving forward with fixed stops that provide rest, food, and reunion with their own species as well as with other traveling companions.
Sound, in its purity, has the power to evoke landscapes and situations, to make us travel beyond images. The mindful listening of birdsong awakens both new and ancestral sensitivities in the face of the beauty of this cyclical movement. It immerses us fully in the landscape, transports us, and accompanies us throughout this epic journey.
The sounds of nature not only sketch landscapes: they also reveal the ecological challenges birds face along their routes, increasingly threatened by habitat loss, human activity, and climate change. This sensory immersion seeks to become a dialogue between art and environmental awareness, inviting reflection on our relationship with the planet.
Activity promoted by Social Fest Bcn
In collaboration with: Plataforma Vértices and Centre Cívic L’Elèctric
This activity is part of the SocialFestBcn 2025 program, which proposes a program centered on art as a transformative instrument in the processes of healing ourselves and our relationship with the territory.
In a world where health systems are often dominated by hegemonic Western perspectives, the festival opens an intercultural dialogue to explore and honor diverse ways of understanding healing. Through art, workshops, performances, ceremonies, and gatherings, we will engage with the wisdom of Indigenous peoples, ancestral cultures, and other forgotten or marginalized epistemologies, while questioning the colonial gaze on body, mind, and spirit.
Eloïsa Matheu
Biologist specializing in the acoustic communication of animals and the soundscapes of different ecosystems. In 1992, she created the record label Alosa, through which she published the first sound guides and soundscapes in the country, intended as reference and learning materials for ornithologists and naturalists. She currently collaborates with the Natural Science Museum of Barcelona, digitizing and promoting the Fonoteca sound collection.
Barbara Held
Flutist and composer based in Barcelona, recognized for her subtle and meticulous exploration of sound and of listening as a bodily and spatial experience. She has performed an innovative repertoire of Spanish and American composers, and collaborated on interdisciplinary projects that combine music, visual arts, film, and nature. Her work includes sound and audiovisual installations alongside artists such as Daniel Neumann, Eugenia Balcells, and Richard Garet, as well as performances with Carles Santos and Joan Brossa. In addition, she was the creator and curator of Music at Metrónom.
