Sonic relationality: building empathy with the critically endangered European eel in the Scheldt Estuary

Research indicates that empathy toward individual animals can enhance pro-environmental behavior,
a challenge that is particularly pronounced in relation to the world’s aquatic environments. However,
recent studies show that eliciting empathy for these remote and often invisible marine ecosystems
remains difficult. In this context, there is growing interest in innovative artistic approaches to
address this issue. Although the relationality of sound is increasingly recognized as a means to foster
connection, its role in cultivating empathy with nature remains largely unexplored. Therefore, this
project aims to understand the role of ecological sound art in fostering empathy among listeners,
focusing on the critically endangered European eel (A. Anguilla L.) population in the Scheldt Estuary.
The project uses a mixed methods design to examine sound arts’ potential in fostering an
empathetic, relational, and caring attitude among listeners, focusing on the European eel and its
broader ecosystem. As sound art methods have never been systematically applied to empathybuilding
for nature, this project addresses an important research gap. This project will provide both
theoretical and practical groundbreaking insights for the field of Sound Studies. Furthermore, the
project will contribute to a better understanding of how sound art can influence listeners’
perceptions, beliefs and feelings related to the marine environment.