Bellagio Residency: November 2022
Project: “The Nature of Music: Making guitars in a changing world – sustainable resource use and human wellbeing”
Richard J. Hobbs is a leading scholar in the field of restoration ecology. He came to Bellagio in November 2022 to examine the ecology, conservation and use of trees in forests that produce the woods that guitars are made of. While at Bellagio, he worked on a website, https://www.the-nature-of-music.com/, focusing on policy and practical trade pathways to ensure sustainable and ethical resource extraction, and featuring case studies and vignettes to illustrate where guitar makers are fostering positive change in various parts of the world. Hobbs is Emeritus Professor in the School of Biological Sciences at the University of Western Australia.