Sound/Audio Project at the Cultural Biodiveristy and Heritage Trail at Carnsore Wind Farm, Rosslare

Creative Ireland Wexford

Culture Team Projects 2026

Rosslare –

Sound/Audio Project at the Cultural Biodiveristy and Heritage Trail at Carnsore Wind Farm

The Carnsore Windfarm project brings together leading Irish universities and energy companies. Spanning 200 acres in the most south-easterly corner of Ireland, Carnsore is home to 14 turbines powering around 7,600 households a year. The land is mostly agricultural but with pockets of wet grassland, scrub and reed beds. Recognised as extremely rich in biodiversity, the region includes special marine areas of conservation and protected areas for birdlife.

Crucially, the project seeks to measure the value of the benefits delivered by the wind farm ecosystems to the local community – looking at ‘ecosystem services’ such as pollination, water filtration, or the mental health benefits of spending time in nature. This will give operators like ESB a new way to evaluate biodiversity on the sites and prioritise actions to strengthen these natural resources.

The local community in Carnsore has been an integral partner in the project since day one. A key output will be the Biodiversity and Cultural Heritage Park, a place for people to enjoy nature at the wind farm and learn about the value of local biodiversity. The Nature+Energy Team Project from Trinty College Dublin has engaged in a co-design process involving Wexford County Council, local walking groups, and schools, to develop walking trails and educational resources around people’s connection to nature. Objectives of this collaboration include building trust between industry and communities, embedding biodiversity and cultural narratives, and co-designing shared public amenities in renewable energy landscapes to enhance and restore natural ecosystems.

Over the past year, the community engagement strand has evolved dynamically in response to local perspectives and values. Around fifteen core community members took part in meetings, workshops and online sessions that explored biodiversity, cultural heritage and lived experience of the Carnsore landscape. From these conversations, a strong preference emerged for subtle signage that would limit physical impact on the natural and cultural landscape, while still providing meaningful interpretation.

In response, the project team has captured in two recordings with a tentative third, some of the voices, stories and memories of local people, weaving together narratives of heritage, biodiversity and environmental change.

It is intended that these recordings will be part of an audio experience accessed via QR codes on subtle signage across the site, creating an immersive and accessible experience for visitors.

https://www.marei.ie/research/projects/natureenergy/

Commission

In 2026 the Creative Ireland programme and the Biodiversity Office at Wexford County Council in collaboration with the Rosslare Municipal District seek proposals from sound artists/composers who have extensive experience working with communities. The sound artist/composer will develop an audio response to the site, that reflects cultural and ecological memory and belonging, while also bearing witness to signals of climate change, biodiversity loss and transition. In this way, the response will preserve ecological and cultural knowledge, while also serving as a record of change for future generations.

Timeline

The timeline of this project is January 2026-October 2026.

Fee

The fee for this work is €9,000, with €1,000 for travel and materials. (€10,000 in total).

For this fee the composer musician will:

• Build on the relationships with the local community group that have already been established by the Nature Plus Team;
• Gather more stories, knowledge and understanding of the community;
• Work with the community to co-design 6 x tracks that compliment the landscapes and the stories collected and can be accessed via QR code on signage at the site;
• Work with the Creative Communities Engagement Officer at Wexford County Council to upload the recordings to a host website accessible through the QR codes. The composer is not expected to set up a new website;
• Support the community in working with the ESB and Wexford County Council on sign locations;
• With the community, design and develop three further audio (perhaps including visual) happenings/performances related to the ecological and cultural knowledge of the site that are showcased for the public across 2026.

As well as leading and delivering the creative outcomes of the project, artists will be expected to project manage. Some limited support will be available from the Creative Communities Engagement Officer, and the Environment Department and the Heritage Office.

Application

To apply, please the following to artsoffice@wexfordcoco.ie by midnight on Sunday 30^th November 2025:

• A detailed proposal of 2-3 pages setting out your approach to community engagement, the development of 6 soundscapes and the creation of 3 live performances/happenings;
• A statement outlining why you would like to lead this commission;
• An up-to-date CV outlining your experience of working with communities, your experience developing soundscapes and audio experiences, your technical proficiency with recording equipment and audio uploads, and your experience of project management;
• Up to 5 examples of previous work that are relevant to this project.

Applications received after the closing date will not be accepted.

Assessment process