Archiving the breath and silence of vanishing landscapes
My travels throughout Latin America have always been a source of profound fascination, driven equally by the richness of the landscapes and the haunting diversity of their sonic signatures. From the Crooked Tree Wildlife Sanctuary in Belize to the Caño Negro Natural Refuge in Costa Rica, these regions offer an unparalleled acoustic palette.
Ultimate Intervals was born from a desire to share these singular atmospheres, particularly those of Panama and the areas surrounding Lake Gatun. These environments are now increasingly fragile; like the San Blas archipelago, where islands are gradually being reclaimed by the rising tide, these habitats are disappearing, taking with them an irreplaceable natural and cultural heritage. In this sense, these recordings serve as an acoustic archive of places that are physically vanishing.
In each of these countries, the avian life is omnipresent and flamboyant, composing a sonic environment of striking complexity. Yet, it is perhaps in the silences that the true character of these places is revealed. These suspended moments, the intervals between two songs or two breaths of wind, are not an absence. They are a presence in their own right; a respiration of the living world that gives meaning to the sounds surrounding them.
I often found myself standing still, captivated, listening to these natural concerts with a mixture of wonder and reverence. My focus was as much on the sound itself as on the silence that preceded and followed it. Conceived in 2021, this album is the culmination of three years of dedicated field work, capturing the “ultimate intervals” of a world in transition.
