معرفی
Paul Whitty serves as Professor of Music and Head of the School of Arts at Oxford Brookes University, where he leads the Sonic Art Research Unit (SARU) and co-directs audiograft, Oxford's Festival of experimental music and sound art. His academic leadership spans composition pedagogy, sound arts research, and institutional strategy within the arts faculty.
Whitty's research explores experimental composition through sonic ethnography and environmental sound practices. Key projects include Sound Diaries (2008-present), examining everyday soundscapes with Dr. Felicity Ford; somewhere a field (2013-2017), investigating rural Devon soundscapes; and Get Some Chalk On Your Boots! (2016-2018), documenting grassroots football's sonic cultures. His methodology integrates field recording, site-specific interventions, and collaborative practices to challenge conventional boundaries between composed and environmental sound.
Recent creative output demonstrates persistent exploration of recompositional strategies and sonic archaeology, particularly in works like The Morning (2023) and Nature is a language - can't you read? (2015), which rework historical materials through contemporary sound art lenses. These projects consistently engage with themes of perception, cultural memory, and environmental interaction.
Scientific recognition includes:
- Arts Council of England award
- AHRC award
- Britten-Pears Foundation award
- British Council award
Whitty actively supervises PhD candidates in experimental composition and sound arts, with recent graduates including Malcolm Atkins (Anglo-American experimental tradition), Felicity Ford (domestic soundscapes), and Sam Thomas (bass guitar in contemporary composition). His research has secured substantial funding from ACE, AHRC, British Academy, Britten-Pears Foundation, Cross-River Partnerships, RVW Trust, and Tate.
He directs SARU's collaborative research environment and co-founded the experimental ensemble [rout], which tours internationally and appears on BBC Radio 3. Through audiograft and SARU, Whitty cultivates Oxford's experimental music ecosystem, connecting academic research with public engagement.
