What would change if forests, waterways and wildlife were recognised as more than just resources? The idea has been debated ever since Prof Christopher Stone posited in a 1972 issue of the Southern California Law Review that trees should have legal rights. The concept is now gathering pace, with advocates calling for the more-than-human world to be granted legal protection, a voice in decision-making and even recognition for its creativity. Is this slow revolution finally coming of age?
In this mini series, we highlight five initiatives that are igniting action across the globe. First up, we tune in to the nature-inspired music of Cosmo Sheldrake
A skylark and a cow. Hardly your typical rave innovators, but to musician Cosmo Sheldrake’s ears, their sounds conjured up images of dancefloor mayhem.
“The skylark was singing, and it just sounded like liquid drum and bass: terrifyingly fast drum and bass,” says Sheldrake, recalling the moment 13 years ago when his afternoon nap was disturbed by birdsong. “There was a cow doing a deep ‘moo’, and everything came together in my mind of this wild rave.”
Since then, Sheldrake has established a reputation for using the sounds of nature in his work. Chopping and tweaking samples captured on a field recorder, he gives centre stage to the creative power of wild spaces and the more-than-human world.
