Yolande Harris

Yolande Harris is an Assistant Professor of Teaching in the Music Department at the University of California, Santa Cruz, and inaugural faculty in the Creative Technology program. Her work focuses on the intersection of sound, environment, and creative practice, particularly through ocean acoustics and interdisciplinary collaboration. She previously served as a lecturer in the Arts Division and held positions at the Rhode Island School of Design.

Harris’s artistic practice combines composition, sound art, and audiovisual installations to explore human-environment relationships. Her current project, How You Shimmer: Sound Portal for Whale Bubbles, set to debut in 2025 as part of the Getty’s PST Art exhibition, integrates ocean sounds with sculptural elements. She emphasizes collaborative, hands-on learning in her teaching, fostering creativity while challenging dominant technological paradigms.

Hers research interests include environmental sound studies, the transformative potential of listening, and interdisciplinarity in creative fields. Born in the UK, Harris has exhibited widely in Europe and the US, and her work often reflects her deep connection to coastal landscapes and ecological awareness.