Proclamation into the Amazon is the third sound artwork in Emily Burridge’s Meditations collection, which features one of her location recordings of the Xavante tribe from the Amazon of Brazil. With ongoing ties to the tribal group, having founded the Indigenous People’s Cultural Support Trust charity, Burridge’s composition is steeped in emotional memory for the artist. Central to Xavante culture is the daily traditional practise of singing in groups, and this location recording captures the celebratory singing held at the inauguration of a solar-powered health centre designed by the artist and the community in the mid-90s. Proclamation is featured on her album production Into the Amazon, which is a series of pieces combined with location recordings of the natural environment of the Amazon and Xavante tribal singing. This original recording was combined with a multi-tracked cello composition of hers, produced and recorded in Chiswick Grove Studio, London.

Cover image: portrait of Chief Francisco Pronhopa Xavante.