Burnt Branch Soundscape, 03:21, Julie Andreyev, 2024
Field recording, burnt cast-off branch from the McDougall Creek Wildfire site,  repurposed linen soaked in feverfew, electronics.

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Burnt Branch Soundscape invites a reflection on the forest affected by the McDougal Creek wildfire (2023) near West Kelowna, Okanagan. The Okanagan valley, in the south interior of BC, Canada is experiencing increased frequency and severity of wildfires due to climate change and drought. The artist visited the site one year after the wildfire and collected a charred branch, a cast-off from a ponderosa pine who survived the fire. In that spot, she made a field recording documenting the calls of birds who have returned to the forest, the flow of McDougal Creek, and a helicopter — an acoustic feature of the area now under surveillance for fire.

The artist remembers Kelowna from her childhood as a place of beauty and abundance. During summer holidays, she would play with her brother and cousin on the hill with a pine forest behind her aunt and uncle’s house. The ground, covered in needles had a dry soft feel underfoot. Close to the house was a tiny apple orchard that gave fruit, and Okanagan Lake where she learned to swim. 

 

Each year, the artist returns to the Okanagan valley to camp, and take note of the changes in ecologies and communities.

For this sound installation, the burnt branch is wrapped in a hand-stitched linen cloth repurposed from her late mother’s belongings and soaked in feverfew — a plant traditionally used to treat headache and fever. The cloth holds a media player that loops the soundscape for listeners. 

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exhibitions:

2025 group exhibition: The Faculty Show: Celebrating Creativity and Diversity, Libby Leshgold Gallery, Vancouver

2024 group exhibition: “Wildfire”, curated by Lara Felsing and David McGregor, Red Brick Art Centre, Alberta