Alex Braidwood is a sound artist, media designer, and educator. He is currently Associate Professor in the College of Design at Iowa State University where he is faculty in the Graphic Design department, Masters in Design for Sustainable Environments program, and the Human Computer Interaction (HCI) program. Alex is also faculty at the Iowa Lakeside Lab biological field research station where he teaches the Acoustic Ecology field study course, attended by students in the sciences as well as the arts. The course studies the soundscape and the impact of anthropogenic noise on local prairies, wetlands, and forests over time. Also at Lakeside Lab, he is Director of the Artist-in-Residence (AIR) program, which focuses on bringing artists from around the world working at the intersection of art, science, and nature to the field station to embed with the Lab and create their art.
Alex has given talks, led workshops, installed projects, and performed live all over the world using his field recordings along with water quality data. The goal of his work is to connect people to their surroundings, increase understanding of the importance of protecting the soundscape, and discuss issues related to water quality.
His Acoustic Ecology field study course at Iowa Lakeside Lab was featured on Iowa Public Television’s Iowa Outdoors and can be viewed on line here.
This documentary was created by Bravo Greater Des Moines about his public interactive sound sculpture called the Water Quality Xylophone
Iowa Public Radio interviewed Alex live on the air about his Buoy Music project created from the GLEON sensor buoy managed by Iowa Lakeside Lab.
Iowa Public Radio also produced this piece about his sound art piece created as one of two 2016 Iowa artists titled Listen Right Here: DSM
Alex’s website is https://www.alexbraidwood.com and you follow him on Instagram @ListeningInstruments and on SoundCloud