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Febuary 2026

Translating science into music

(from left) Professor Richard Manasseh and Elissa Goodrich and their ensemble at a production of their Bubbles and Waves work

Sound artist and Swinburne Visiting Fellow, Elissa Goodrich has been announced as the recipient of the Australian Network for Art and Technology (ANAT) Synapse 2026 Residency Program. As part of her residency, Elissa will be working with Swinburne’s Professor Richard Manasseh on comminicating Swinburne’s research in fluid mechanics.

The ANAT Synapse Residency program brings artists and researchers together to create new knowledge and ideas that drive impact beyond their fields.

“This residency is a wonderful recognition of the benefits when researchers work with artists. Elissa has a track record of transforming science and engineering research into music, making complex research accessible by one of our most basic senses – hearing,” says Professor Manasseh. 

Elissa is a globally recognised expert in the translation of science into music. She has produced 12 international sound-art productions from her work with Professor Manasseh and his team. 

“Our project explores the paths of bubbles under ocean waves and how they make and deflect underwater sounds. When bubbles are formed, they emit sounds we hear, creating the natural ‘music’ of running water and of breaking ocean waves,” says Elissa.

“Measuring bubble sounds provides context on some hard-to-control processes. For example, breaking waves generate vast clouds of bubbles that dissolve a quarter to a third of our carbon emissions. Therefore, measuring bubble sounds may enable measurement of this control on our climate,” Professor Manasseh adds.    

“Further, understanding how bubbles make music also allows us to design bubbles to block noise. For instance, engineers create curtains of bubbles to protect marine mammals from pile-driving shocks during the construction of offshore wind turbines.”

The 2026 ANAT Synapse Residency Program is supported by the Australian Network for Art and Technology (ANAT) and Swinburne University of Technology.

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