In honour of the inaugural World Orangutan Day, Australian musician Sallie Campbell has composed a musical opus in support of the plight of the orangutans and their rapidly disappearing forest habitat, titled Nightingale Floor.
A composer and multi-instrumentalist, Campbell drew support and assistance for the project from peers and friends including singer Kate Miller-Heidke, actor Sarah Snook (Predestination, Not Suitable For Children, Sisters Of War), writer/director David Barker, producer Daniel Denholm (Australian Chamber Orchestra, Powderfinger) who recorded and produced the track, and featured soloist composer/multi-instrumentalist John Rodgers.
Campbell is an ardent campaigner for the orangutan and the forests they inhabit. “The situation is urgent, it's right now. The last wild orangutans on the earth live in Malaysia and Indonesia. If people knew the food and products they were consuming were wiping out forests and all the beautiful creatures that live there, they wouldn't buy them,” she said. “As consumers we can do so much. We must demand proper labeling on palm oil products and tell companies that use unsustainable palm oil that we won't buy them.
Nightingale Floor is written for an 11-piece string section and three soloists and dedicated to the original ‘people of the forest’ “The single, most important thing we can do to save the orangutan is to insist that the palm oil used in products is produced in a sustainable way, and not at the expense of orangutans and their habitat,” Campbell said.
A music video was created to accompany the release of the song, and will be released on August 19, World Orangutan Day, along with the full-length music track. Produced by Angie Fielder and Romany Lee of Aquarius Films (Wish You Were Here), the video hopes to spread the word of the artist run project, and guide people back to a purpose built website. www.nightingalefloor.com.au is where music and clips can be downloaded for a small donation, plus the public can also learn about the use of palm oil products, and the fight to save the Orangutan and their natural habitat.
Barker (also currently working with Aquarius Films and Snook on a forthcoming feature film) said that whilst the clip represents the theme of ‘breaking free from cages within our hearts’, it also symbolises how a shift in perception can provide hope for the orangutans.
“The natural wonder, which draws the protagonist forward in the video, is analogous to the orangutan,” he said. “We want people to believe in the idea of natural wonders; we want to create a sense of hope, while at the same time creating an emotive artistic statement that people will want to purchase.”
The idea of working with Sarah came when David saw her in a casting for the film, “It felt like the perfect opportunity to collaborate together on another meaningful project. But most importantly, I felt that Sarah could really capture the character’s emotional journey, and lead us all into this place of new wonder….and, in some ways, salvation. And she did”
For more information and to support the Nightingale Floor campaign please visit www.nightingalefloor.com.au
All funds raised by sales of the music and videos will go directly to the Orangutan Lands Trust. http://www.forests4orangutans.org/