Song of the Cedars – A Conversation with Giuliana Furci, Robert Macfarlane, César Rodríguez-Garavito, and Cosmo Sheldrake
Apr 1, 2025
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Join Robert Macfarlane, a celebrated author; Giuliana Furci, a passionate mycologist; César Rodríguez-Garavito, an activist legal scholar; and musician Cosmo Sheldrake as they delve into the Song of the Cedars project. They explore their transformative experience in the Los Cedros cloud forest, discussing the legal framework to recognize nature as a creative partner. The conversation highlights the interconnectedness of ecosystems, the unsung role of fungi, and the need for collaborative authorship between humans and nature, all wrapped in a rich audio tapestry of the forest.
The conversation highlights the need to redefine artistic authorship by legally recognizing ecosystems, like Los Cedros, as co-creators in artistic works.
Participants reflected on the profound emotional connections formed in nature, illustrating how these relationships shape and enhance the collaborative creative process.
Deep dives
The Collaborative Nature of Creativity
Creativity is often viewed as the product of individual genius, but it can be argued that all artistic creation emerges from collaborative relationships with the natural world. The podcast emphasizes that materials for art come from the living Earth, and that inspiration is often drawn from ecosystems. By recognizing that art is a result of co-creation with nature, one also acknowledges a philosophical neglect of this relationship. This recognition challenges conventional views on ownership and the role of the individual artist.
The Legal Rights of Nature
The Los Cedros cloud forest in Ecuador was granted legal personhood in 2021, attributing rights to nature in a landmark ruling. A group of artists and legal scholars, including Robert McFarlane and César Rodríguez Garavito, sought to further this concept by filing a legal petition to credit the forest as a co-creator of their song, 'Song of the Cedars'. This petition aims to formally recognize the contributions of an ecosystem in the realm of artistic creation. If successful, this would mark a significant shift in how law interprets authorship and rights regarding creative work.
Experiencing the Cloud Forest
The group shared personal reflections from their time spent in the Los Cedros forest, describing it as a place filled with abundance and life. Amidst the rich biodiversity, they felt deeply connected to each other and the environment, highlighting how nature plays a role in fostering relationships. Each participant’s experience underscored the emotional weight of their surroundings, from feelings of grief to memories of joy, as they established a bond with the forest. This connection influenced their collaboration on the musical piece, signifying that the environment was an active participant in their creative process.
Recognition of Non-Human Creators
The podcast explores the ethical complexities surrounding the use of natural sounds and ecosystems in artistic expression, calling for a new recognition of the moral authorship of non-human entities. As the concept of 'copy green' emerges, it seeks to decouple moral authorship from economic gains, emphasizing the need for reciprocity to the natural world. Individuals involved in this movement argue that acknowledging the rights and contributions of ecosystems can lead to more ethical artistic practices. By establishing frameworks that highlight the collaborative nature of creativity, the hope is to shift existing legal paradigms toward a more inclusive understanding of authorship.
On a field trip to Los Cedros cloud forest in Ecuador in 2022, mycologist Giuliana Furci, author Robert Macfarlane, legal scholar and More Than Human (MOTH) Life Collective founder César Rodríguez-Garavito, and musician Cosmo Sheldrake wrote and recorded “Song of the Cedars”—a composition made not just in the forest, but in conscious collaboration with it. Rich with field recordings of the ecosystem and the track’s entwined human and more-than-human melodies, this conversation between the foursome explores their ongoing effort to gain legal recognition of Los Cedros as co-creator of the song, which if successful, will be a world first.