Art Installation fundraising for Cowiche Canyon

My name's Amanda Berlind and I'm an artist and sound experimenter in rainy Portland, Oregon. I'm teaming up with (my hero!) ambient music legend Tim Story to create an art + sound installation in Yakima, Washington to raise money for the Cowiche Canyon Conservancy. Money received will go toward my nonprofit organization, Magic Mango, where it will then go directly to CCC after minor installation costs (travel and tech expenses) are reimbursed.

Our installation, titled "Music for Animals", will take place in the CCC's Butterfly Sanctuary, a gorgeous (and highly representative) piece of the shrub-steppe geography in Yakima this coming April. Walking through the sanctuary, lookers/listeners will experience waves of multi-channel audio coming from six speaker cones hidden in totem-style painted animals (hand painted by me :) ). The audio is comprised of field recordings taken at the site (animals, wind patterns, general ecosystem sounds) as well as Yakima community members (most prominently featuring the Yakima Symphony Orchestra's concertmaster Denise Dillenbeck). This audio is heavily processed and synthesized to create a kind of spontaneous hyperreality for the experiencer, drawing awareness to what is already present but perhaps not yet apparent, and allowing newness and beauty to arise from what are otherwise often thought of as everyday noises. Tim and I wanted to make the music feel like a kind of amplified reality; we wanted to make the listener aware of the many sounds that are often hidden by the distractions of the world so that they can experience, as animals would, a busier and more vibrant, storied sonic landscape. Our hope is that this installation can have two great outcomes; one is about experience and art, and the other is a financial goal. First, our aim is to draw attention to the gorgeous Cowiche Canyon lands and in that attention to create awareness of all that is precious and special to be heard and seen in this environment, as well as creating an experiential memory for the community of this place that is lasting and unique. And secondly, we hope to fundraise through this and other channels to raise money to be donated to the CCC to help with their ongoing efforts to protect and restore these lands.

People who know me know how much I love animals. That's right, you better believe I love every cat, rat, dog, frog, mouse and louse! And don't you forget it!!! Ok. This is all to say that this project means a lot to me because I really care about the wildlife here. I've wanted to create some work alongside and/or in service of animals for a superly long time, and at long last, in great part due to the kindness and generosity of you people and of the Yakima community, it's all coming to fruition. Thank you so much for helping me do this cool work. Lots of love from me and my cats, Wand and Plum <3

xoxoxoxoxoxo

About Cowiche Canyon Conservancy (quoted from their website):

"Cowiche Canyon Conservancy (CCC) connects people to nature. We are a non-profit land trust in Yakima, Washington protecting our shrub-steppe habitat – a unique landscape made up of sagebrush and grasslands, flowering meadows, oak woodlands, and basalt cliffs. CCC owns and manages over 5,000 acres of land and provides more than 30 miles of trails for outdoor recreation. We conserve these natural areas and connect people to them through recreation and education."

Additional Links:

~ Tim's website

~ Amanda's website

~ Cowiche Canyon website