Cosmo Sheldrake, a versatile artist from the UK, wears many hats – he is a multi-instrumentalist, producer, composer, live improviser, and field recordist. The idea of granting legal rights to nature has been a topic of debate since Prof Christopher Stone’s proposition in 1972 that trees should have legal standing. This concept is gaining traction as advocates push for legal protection, decision-making influence, and acknowledgment of the creativity of the natural world.
One of the initiatives sparking action globally is the unique nature-inspired music of Cosmo Sheldrake. His unconventional inspirations include the sounds of a skylark and a cow, which he transformed into dancefloor-worthy tunes. Sheldrake’s work involves using field recordings of nature, showcasing the creative power of the wilderness and the world beyond humans.
Sheldrake’s music albums, such as Wake Up Calls and Wild Wet World, feature recordings of endangered British birds and ocean sounds, respectively. He considers nature a collaborator in his work and donates half of his royalties to conservation efforts. In a groundbreaking move, Sheldrake collaborated on a song composed using sounds from Ecuador’s Los Cedros cloud forest, aiming to have the ecosystem recognized as a co-creator of the piece.
During a visit to Los Cedros, Sheldrake, along with collaborators including writer Robert Macfarlane, created the song “Song of the Cedars” using recordings of various wildlife. This collaboration led to a petition to have the cloud forest’s moral authorship acknowledged by Ecuador’s copyright office, potentially setting a new legal precedent. Sheldrake hopes that this recognition will encourage a deeper appreciation for the creativity of the natural world
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