Fondation Cartier presents first U.S. exhibition in 20 years with "Great Animal Orchestra

This week, The Great Animal Orchestra, the first North American exhibition by the Fondation Cartier pour l'art contemporain in over 20 years, opens to the public at the Peabody Essex Museum (PEM) in Salem, Massachusetts. After working with musicians such as the Rolling Stones and composing music for films such as Francis Ford Coppola's Apocalypse Now, musician and soundscape ecologist Bernie Krauss embarked on a career of recording natural environments. Krauss uses tools to record the complex and layered sounds of animals in order to understand the health of the environment. Sadly, when he returned to the habitats he had been recording since the 1970s, half of the biodiversity he had previously recorded was no longer present.

Created by United Visual Artists, this immersive experience visualizes and brings to life each animal's contribution to the "orchestra" in vulnerable habitats around the world, from the oceans to Zimbabwe to Brazil. A warning to protect precious biodiversity and a spark to raise awareness of the importance of discussing environmental issues around the world, Jane Winchell, director of PEM's Art & Nature Center and curator of natural history, said, "The Great Animal Orchestra is a highly original and memorable encounter that stays with you long after you leave. I listened with a greater appreciation for the animal sounds as messengers of ecological vitality."

"The Great Animal Orchestra was a wonderful experience.