Midwinter
Midwinter is composed of field recordings captured in Lutruwita/Tasmania in the fall and winter of 2023. Sites include Takayna/Tarkine in the north-west and numerous southern sites throughout the cooler months.
Field recordings were captured in the rainforest through dawn birdsong, dusk and nightfall. Over the course of 2023, recordings were made amongst mossy logs and sheltered beneath ferns, beside waterways and old-growth forest. The album includes rainfall, river systems and weather patterns from the autumn and winter.
The album includes a number of threatened sites, including the temperate rainforests within Takayna/Tarkine. Within Midwinter, dawn and dusk choruses from the Takayna are layered within the soundscapes. Takayna the largest expanse of cool-temperate rainforest in Australia that blankets the North-West of Luturuwita/Tasmania: filled with myrtle beech, celery top pine, blackwood and sassafras.
Takayna is home to much flora and fauna. The rich variety of animals in the Tarkine includes platypus, echidna, wombat, bandicoot, possum and glider. The Tasmanian Devil, the Spotted-tailed Quoll and Eastern Quoll also make their homes within these ecosystems. The Tarkine hosts over a hundred bird species, including the threatened, Orange-bellied Parrot and the Tasmanian Masked Owl. Habitat loss is a great threat to endangered species such as the Tasmanian Masked Owl, and protecting Takayna through world heritage listing is vital for protecting these habitats.
“There are many things about Takayna that we don’t yet know. Rainforests, particularly ancient ones, are so incredibly ecologically complex they can shelter secrets for generations. For example, species can thrive in pockets of wilderness beyond our reach, eluding even the most skilled and committed researchers.” – Elfy Scott