Santa Barbara County is blessed to have passionate interests, matched with an ample patronage base, when it comes to the important issue of land conservation. One of the more recent success stories on that front came to pass with the White Buffalo Land Trust, on the vast 1,000-acre piece of idyllic real estate known as Jalama Canyon Ranch, on the rugged and winding road to Jalama Beach.

More to the point, the philosophy behind the land acquisition was to treat it less like “real estate” and more like cherishable land worthy of reverence and conservation. (See Independent story here.) The very experience and on-the-ground reality of the place and the project has been very much on the mind and plans of composer and conceptual land artist Nathan Sherwood Liang lately. 

Liang is a San Francisco–based sound artist and musician who has channeled his artistry and passion for environmental issues — and the environment itself — into projects that cull music, sounds literally lifted from landscapes, and ambient impressions into audio-visual works. He began a six-week residency at Jalama Canyon Ranch in mid-April and has been gathering field recordings and conceptual data, building up toward a culminating public performance on the afternoon of Saturday, May 23. 

The event is also a ripe occasion for those of us who have been keenly curious about this special, preserved property and looking for a close-up view and visitation rights. Founded by the late Lyndsey McMorrow, White Buffalo Land Trust is a Summerland-based nonprofit, which “practices, promotes, and develops systems of regenerative agriculture,” with the Jalama property as a flagship operation. 

According to Ana Smith, Director of Programs and Engagement at White Buffalo Land Trust, “Artists help us perceive the living world in new ways. Nathan’s work translates the ecological relationships into sound, offering a powerful way to experience the rhythms of land stewardship, biodiversity, and regeneration.”

While in residency at the Ranch, Liang has been busy collecting field recordings and gathering environmental data, including birdsong, weather patterns, and sonic documentation of the Ranch at work. The results feed into his finished project, presented with a playable digital instrument and a new suite of musical pieces of a site-specific origin. 

The performance promises to be an artwork of interest, in its own right, taking root in a model agricultural space of interest in the 805.

This immersive concert takes place on Saturday, May 23, 4-7 p.m., at Jalama Canyon Ranch. See bit.ly/4ueE7yX for tickets and details.