NMB 2025: Ellie Wilson's Moth x Human

'Moth x Human - a sonic journey into the world after dark'

As biodiversity declines globally, the quiet disappearance of insects often goes unnoticed. I wanted to compose a piece that not only reflected this loss, but also allowed the insects themselves —specifically moths — to help create it, resulting in a sort of interspecies dialogue between moths and humans.

Moths are just as important as bees and butterflies when it comes to pollination and their numbers are in significant decline due to habitat loss, pesticides, and climate change. This has a knock-on effect on the ecosystem, as moths are an important food source for bats, owls, and birds. There are, incredibly, around 2,500 species of moth in the UK, compared to just 59 species of butterfly.

When I first came up with the idea for Moth x Human I don’t think I realised quite how much time would be spent staring at spreadsheets before I could actually start making music. I was introduced to scientists at the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology who use an automated, solar-powered device that records moth activity overnight. (No sitting outdoors with a flask and clipboard at midnight!) It has a light source to attract moths, a camera to photograph them and a computer plus AI to identify the species and timestamp each visit.
 

I selected a single evening of data and transformed it into music. A custom-built Max/MSP device let me bring this data in Ableton software. Each moth’s visit was converted into MIDI, with species assigned a unique pitch or timbre. I condensed real-time monitoring of a whole evening into the 12-minute duration of the work, capturing the ebb and flow of moth activity throughout the night. At some points the moths have created short melodic fragments, and these can be heard later in the piece as repeating motifs in the cello and piano.

The piece sonically represents the impact of biodiversity decline by using data from the same evening but two contrasting locations.  It opens with data gathered from Parsonage Downs in Wiltshire, a healthy chalk grassland habitat. Over the course of four hours, 80 different moth species were recorded. The sound world is rich, very active, demonstrating a thriving ecosystem. The closing section of the piece uses data from a monoculture farm in Cambridgeshire where pesticides are used. Here, only 19 moth species were recorded during the same four-hour period and the soundscape is noticeably more sparse and monotonous.
 

Chamber ensemble and electronics 

Moth x Human is scored for 2 violins, cello, trombone, piano and synths but at the heart of the piece is the fixed media track built from the moth data, which plays alongside the live instruments. Most of the writing for the two violins is delicate (marked ‘gossamer – like moth wings’ in the score). They move in fast, whispered exchanged, lots of string crossing that moves from flautando to sul ponticello to bring out a wide range of overtones and timbres, creating a sort of dreamy, fluttering soundworld. The cello brings contrast and character: playful pizzicati, glissandi, Bartók snaps, and even percussive tapping on the body of the instrument mimic the frantic flutter of a moth caught in a lampshade. I was very lucky to work with The Northern School of Art, who even designed a new module around my project. Fine art, animation and photography students all created moth inspired artwork that was then 3D animated to make the visuals that are used in the live performance.
 

Before I started this piece I could probably name five species of moth. Now, I’ll admit—I’m a bit obsessed! I’ve even built a moth trap in my garden to monitor activity. It’s fascinating to see just how many species are flying right outside your bedroom window. (And yes, I always release them safely the next day.) Ellie Wilson, July 2025

Moth x Human was commissioned by Oxford Contemporary Music with support from UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology. New Music Biennial 2025 was released on 29 August on NMC Recordings.