Re-wilding the System is a residency project exploring the Humber Head Peatlands at Hatfield Moor in Doncaster, developed through collaboration between artists, ecologists, geologists and data specialists.

Over three months, Rebecca's involvement centred on spending time within this rare peatland landscape, working closely with environmental specialists to understand its ecological significance and how it might be translated into a spatial, audio-visual context. The peatlands act as a major carbon store, holding vast amounts of carbon within a fragile and threatened ecosystem.

The residency began with on-site exploration, including guided walks with conservationist Mick Oliver, whose knowledge of the moor’s history, ecology and long-term change grounded the work in place. This was followed by sessions with ecologist Simon Pickles, exploring methods of environmental data capture and how non-visual information can build a more complex picture of a landscape.

Sound became a key part of the process. Working with field recordist Jez Riley-French, Rebecca developed approaches to recording subtle environmental detail, using specialist microphones to capture frequencies often beyond everyday perception. These recordings were combined with material gathered independently across repeated visits to the moor.

Alongside this, the project explored alternative forms of data capture, including biofeedback from plant life. Using a Plantwave device, electrical activity from sphagnum moss was translated into MIDI data, forming part of the sound work and offering a way to interpret plant processes as something audible and time-based.

The outcome is a body of research and material that brings together field recording, environmental data and spatial thinking. Re-wilding the System considers how technology can be used to sense and translate fragile ecosystems, creating new ways of listening to and understanding the landscapes around us.