Mapping The Sawkill: The Many Voices of the Sawkill with Zaneta

RSVP (free): Reserve your spot on Eventbrite

Wear water shoes.

As part of the Mapping the Sawkill series, tune into the many voices of the Sawkill River through an immersive field recording workshop led by Filipinx interdisciplinary sound artist and nature recordist Zaneta. Participants will listen to multiple perspectives of the Sawkill, the subtle bends, dips, and fluctuations in flow, essentially tuning into the many voices of this beloved water body. Using hydrophones and portable digital recorders, participants will explore different immersive field recording techniques and spatial listening. Zaneta will also guide participants in exploring listening and field recording as a ritual of connection and reciprocity with local lands and waters, informed by the artist's cultural traditions. A limited number of digital recorders, headphones, and hydrophones will be available, but participants are highly encouraged to bring their own digital recorders and phones.

Zaneta is a Filipinx interdisciplinary sound artist, nature recordist, and medium whose work brings communities into close relationship with local wilderness through listening, sound, and ritual as sacred expressions of ecological stewardship and care. Drawing from the work of their lola sa tuhod (great-grandmother) as a hilot healer in Iloilo, Philippines, Zaneta weaves field recordings, environmental studies, activism, sound art, storytelling, painting, ritual, and channeling to create experiences of deep communion with the more-than-human world. Their work has been presented at the Brooklyn Museum, Los Angeles Natural History Museum, and the Climate Imaginarium on Governor's Island, among others. Zaneta currently serves as the environmental artist-in-residence at Marydell Faith and Life Center at Hook Mountain in Nyack, NY, and their upcoming album and book, Invitations from the Land: the Zena Highwoods (2026), created in partnership with the Woodstock Land Conservancy, will premiere live in September 2026 in Woodstock.

Recommended Equipment: 

• portable digital recorder or phone

• headphones or earbuds with 3.5mm jack

• fanny pack or small bag for your recorder

• batteries and SD card

• water shoes, hat, sun protective clothing, eco-friendly sunscreen, water bottle, and hiking pole.

• Equipment links: Zoom H2 Digital Recorder | Audio Technica Headphones

  
  

Trail Accessibility: The creek is accessed through the Comeau Property. Restrooms are available and parking is located at the trail entrance. The path is relatively flat but there are many thick, exposed tree roots on the ground. It is approximately a half-mile walk, followed by a slope down to the river bank, which is made entirely of smooth river stones.

There is a maximum 40 participants for this event - RSVP here: Reserve your spot on Eventbrite