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I am a passionate musician and combine my anthropological interests with my artistic endeavors as you can hear in the videos below.
I produced the HSU Anthropology Major department video below. This video showcases each of the subfields of anthropology at Humboldt State and gives a glimpse of experiential learning opportunities for students through our courses, laboratories and facilities, and study abroad programs. Learn more about Anthropology at Humboldt State University: https://anthropology.humboldt.edu/ For information about applying go to: https://admissions.humboldt.edu/
Anthropology Program at HSU
Kullakita (Andino-Electro mix)
This video is composed of dances I recorded during Virgen de la Candelaria in Puno, Peru in 2015, one of three largest festivals in all of South America. The music is an interpretation of the Aymara song “Kullakita” written by Awatiñas, rearranged by Dr. Michelle Wibbelsman and performed by the OSU Andean Ensemble. I recorded the performance and remixed it with overdubbed pan pipes, shakers, vocals, and analog synthesizer tracks including bass, lead, and other melodic motifs reminiscent of the genre “Chicha” that grew in popularity in Peru during the 1970s.
Rituales y Eventos
I created this film to share some of my favorite moments conducting ethnographic research in Puerto Maldonado, Madre de Dios, Peru from 2014-15. I wanted to give the world a glimpse into Puerto Maldonado that pushes back against the stereotypes of a “Wild West” shantytown full of illicit activities. Music is Juaneco y su Combo “La Danza de Pacorro” (1979, Infopesa)
Ya se ha Muerto mi Abuelo
I arranged an Andean rendition of “Ya se ha Muerto mi Abuelo,” a Chicha hit by Juaneco y su Combo, performed by the Ohio State Andean Ensemble. This performance was for the Día de los Muertos celebration on November 2nd, 2016 at the OSU Thompson Library. I am the lead cantante/zampoñista in the video.
Arriving to Madre de Dios
Footage of my arrival to Madre de Dios for fieldwork in 2014-2015, set to the soundtrack of a multi-tracked vintage Moog Opus 3 synthesizer (which is now in desperate need of repair!). This video also briefly introduces the importance of the Madre de Dios River for local and global economies.
Soundscapes of the Strike in Madre de Dios, April 2014
In the following video, I combine audio recordings (of strikers chanting, police vehicles, etc.) and photography from fieldwork in Puerto Maldonado with a short original composition (nylon string acoustic, bamboo flute, tabla drum) to depict the escalation of protests in the city as the regional strike in Madre de Dios progressed into its third week in April 2014. We are now completing day 23. Toward the end of last week it was no longer safe for me to document activities on the streets, so the second half of the video contains imagery mostly from a great local news source, La Revista Madre de Dios (see here for originals + commentary: https://www.facebook.com/larevista.mdd?fref=ts), and a few images from RPP Noticias.
Beneath the Canopy: A Camera Trap Survey in the Peruvian Amazon
The following video is a montage Dara Adams and I put together of imagery from remote camera trap data collected at Los Amigos Biological Station in Madre de Dios Peru in 2013. The goal was to monitor felid movement and activity for a project on primate predator-prey interactions (this is part of Dara’s dissertation research, which investigates saki monkeys and some of their top felid predators, like ocelots and jaguarandis). After the 45-day camera trap survey, we had 369 photos and videos including 22 species of mammals and six species of birds. Check out the video below, which includes music I synthesized entirely from jungle field recordings.
*Surprising Ethnographic Insight
This camera trap survey unexpectedly became part of my own work as well, and became a sort of ‘interview prop’ during the 2013 ethnographic research season. I incorporated camera trap data during interviews to elicit narratives from research participants who were once involved in extractive labor. Many people related to the images, which invoked narratives about hunting and other subsistence strategies whilst working in mining or logging. I also learned about the very small pelt and exotic pet trade in the region (it’s more widespread in Northern Amazonia Peru i.e. Iquitos).
Dr. Gordon Lewis Ulmer 