‘An Aria for the Mallard’ is a new work by Rosana Antolí created for the Gulbenkian South Garden. It seeks to reimagine the traditional operatic form by dedicating an aria to a more-than-human subject – the mallard duck.

Using sound, sculpture, and environmental engagement, the installation highlights the interconnectedness of an ecosystem.

Following a project presentation by the artist, this discussion will explore how neuroscience and bioacoustics influenced the work’s creative process. These disciplines were applied not as theoretical background, but as tools for composition, perception and new forms of imagination.

The conversation will move through artistic process, field research, sonic experimentation, and the analysis of neural data. It will address how interdisciplinary collaboration can open new approaches to working with – and not just about – the more-than-human world.

Examining the notion of co-creation with non-human life forms, particularly through the lens of bioacoustics, it will also consider how this approach can inspire new ecological narratives.

This talk is followed by ‘The Performing Garden’, a live performance by Rosana Antolí, with soprano Claire Rocha Santos and composer Jorge Ramos.