Non-commercial radio stations will join together to air 24 hours of the circadian rhythm emanating from the ṮEḴTEḴSEN marsh in unceded W̱SÁNEĆ territory on Saturna Island, British Columbia this coming Earth Day, April 22. Produced by artists Brady Marks and Mark Timmings, the “Wetland Project” broadcast features a soundscape of birds, frogs, airplanes and more sounds of the natural and encroaching man-made world, that “engages listeners in real time and promotes a deeper awareness of, and a re-enchanted engagement with, the living environment.”
The project is an exercise in “slow radio” that “creates an immersive sonic space to contemplate what it means to be human in the ‘more-than-human world’ and to reflect upon what it means to listen in contested indigenous lands.”
Nine stations across Canada have signed on to air part or all of this year’s broadcast, and all non-commercial stations are invited to take part. In 2020, Local Public Radio in San Francisco even used the program to anchor a successful on-air fundraiser. Interested stations can learn more by emailing info@wetlandproject.com.
The broadcast is also available online and I tuned in throughout Earth Day last year. I had it on in the background and also took time to sit with focused listening, finding it all quite rewarding. And, really, what other platform besides community or college radio would dedicate more than a minute or so to sounds that invite patient and calm listening rather than demanding attention and action? I’m certainly looking forward to this year’s “Wetland Project.”
Feature image credit: Wetland Project
