La Nación Wampís & Aboutface— Los Bosquesinos 2

Aim

A more-than-human collaboration: creating music and an interactive map with the Wampís to protect 1.3M hectares of Amazon rainforest.

My name is Ben Kelly (Aboutface), a transdisciplinary artist, multi-instrumentalist, workshop facilitator, and PhD researcher at the University of Sussex.

Since 2018, I have been collaborating with the Wampís Nation in the Peruvian Amazon, and spending time living with the community and recording sounds of nature, music collaborations and traditional Nampet songs as a way to help preserve their ancestral knowledge, culture, and territory, which is under threat escalating acts of ecocide— negligent and deliberate human acts that destroy locally and globally critical ecosystems central to our delicate terrestrial carbon balance— illegal gold mining, which poisons Wampís people and all life in ecosystems that date back to the Pleistocene era 1 million years ago.

The Story

In April, I am returning to the Peruvian Amazon to reunite with the Wampís Nation for my PhD collaborative-research project with the University of Sussex and to record our second collaborative album 'La Nación Wampís & Aboutface — Tarimat Pujut: A More-Than-Human Collaboration'. To undertake this vital fieldwork safely and effectively, I am seeking support to purchase essential survival and recording equipment, including emergency communications, clean water, solar power, and first aid supplies.

Our First Collaboration: 

My first collaborative album with the Wampís Nation: 'The Wampís of Guayabal & Aboutface – Los Bosquesinos (People of the Forests)', was critically acclaimed, receiving Bandcamp Daily Album of the Day, Guardian World Music of the Month, BBC News coverage, and global radio play, highlighting the cultural and ecological significance of this work. This album explored multinaturalist Nampets — Wampís ancestral songs from the perspective of the animals living in their rainforest territory. So far, income from this project has funded a school for Wampís ancestral curriculum, reimbursed unpaid state teachers, and now income from the Los Bosquesinos album will go towards funding Charip (Wampís word for lightning)— a first response team of Wampís people to illegal mining activity.

Wampís of Guayabal & Aboutface - Los Bosquesinos 


Our new Upcoming Collaboration: 

I am now returning to the Amazon in April to collaboratively record 'La Nación Wampís & Aboutface – Tarimat Pujut: A More-Than-Human Collaboration', as a way to help them protect 1.3 million hectares of Wampís ancestral rainforest territory, called the Iña Wampisti Nunke.

This project is a more-than-human co-creative collaboration between humans, animals, plants, and spirits — coming together to mitigate acts of ecocide such as illegal gold mining — and support the attainment of Tarimat Pujut, the balance between all human and non-human life in the Iña Wampisti Nunke (my artistic interpretation below).











The project will also support the Wampís in creating an ecomusical cartography of their ancestral territory — an online, interactive map owned and managed by the Wampís Nation.

This map will include GPS-mapped locations alongside the sounds, songs, and stories of the forest, some dating back over a million years to the Pleistocene. The recorded voices of non-humans will contribute to evidence supporting international protections such as Rights of Nature (RoN) — which recognises that non-human beings have the right to live, thrive, and not be exploited as resources.

In collaboration with the University of Sussex’s Life Sciences team, these voices will undergo eco-acoustic analysis to provide insights into ecological health and the impacts of acts of ecocide — human actions that destroy ecological habitats vital for global environmental stability.

This project also raises funds to support Wampís traditional education and conservation activities. As with our album Los Bosquesinos (2025), all profits will be donated to the Wampís Nation to support their work protecting forests and more-than-human life — central to achieving Tarimat Pujut and benefiting global ecological health.

Every contribution matters. All names of supporters here or those purchasing music releases via my Bandcamp (£20+) will be included in a special artwork print, presented to the Wampís Pamuk, Teolifo Kukush Pati (below) of the GTANW, upon my return in April 2026.

Your support, no matter the size, is deeply appreciated.

This is a more-than-human collaboration. We aren’t just recording songs — we are opening a dialogue with nature and giving representation to the non-human voice: the birds in the canopy (Nayaim), the fish in the river (Entsa), the insects in the soil (Nunka), and the spirits that reside in them, such as the Nugkui — the mother spirit in the soil guiding sustainable soil practices, crop fertility, and plant knowledge; Tsunki Shuar — residing in rivers, providing knowledge of freshwater springs, aquatic fauna, and sustainable fishery practices; and Aratum — a collective territorial spirit-entity made up of Wampís ancestors who appear in dreams or vision quests, guiding socioecological wellbeing and insights for the future.




Their voices are translated through songs, dreams, and prose to will form the basis of the new album, and a new Ecomusical Cartography — an online interactive map of the Iña Wampisti Nunke where anyone can visit, listen to the voices of nature, and learn about Wampís culture and ancestral methods of rainforest protection.

Why help?

The Amazon rainforest functions as a critical global carbon sink. Intensified deforestation, especially from illegal gold mining, has forced areas like Southeast Amazonia to emit more carbon than they capture, worsening the climate crisis. Illegal mining in Wampís territory destroys river habitats, spreads toxic methylmercury pollution, strips biodiversity, contaminates the food chain, and causes severe health impacts — including neurological damage and birth defects. These incursions have also escalated in violence, including attacks on GTANW boats, arson targeting anti-mining teams (Charip), and the use of children as human shields.

With this Crowdfunder, your support is crucial in acquire=ing new survival equipment; further supporting legal protections; international pressure, and ensuring Iña Wampisti Nunke is free from acts of ecocide, leaving a legacy of empowerment for the Wampís ancestral methods of protecting nature for the benefit of our shared global ecology.

Where Your Money Goes:

I need to raise £1,000 by April 1st to purchase essential survival and recording equipment:

• Garmin InReach Mini 2 — SOS emergency rescue, waypoint backtracking, GPS recording (£289)
• PPT Powerpack Lite + 12V Folding Solar Panel 21W — for recharging (£170)
• Guardian Gravity Water Purifier — essential clean water (£270)
• Rainforest Medi-Kit — first aid for remote fieldwork (£80)
• Ultralite Backpacker Zip Hammock (£200) Total: £1,004

Your support will directly fund survival, safety, and recording equipment to ensure my critical work with the Wampís Nation can continue safely and effectively.

The Rewards (Tiers):

£10 — The Rainforest High Five:

A personal digital thank you.

£20 — The Virtual Rainforest Companion (Music & Nature Diaries):

• Access to monthly content: project preparation; music drafts; field-recordings & video diaries from the Wampís territory, Apr 26.
  
  
• You may also purchase my new fundraising release ‘The World Disappears When you go into it’ (or any music £20+) via Bandcamp, and the income will be transferred to this Crowdfunder.
  
  
• https://aboutface.bandcamp.com/music
  
  
• Your name will also be added to an artwork print that will be presented to the Wampís Pamuk.

£30 — The Early Listener (Digital VIP):

All perks from The Virtual Rainforest Companion plus

• Access to my new fundraising release ‘The World Disappears When you go into it’ instantly.
• Access to the new Wampís & Aboutface album digitally before anyone else (1 month) and radio shout-outs for upcoming shows on NTS/Others (TBA).
• Your name will also be added to an artwork print that will be presented to the Wampís Pamuk.
  
  

£100 — Sponsor the Trip (Executive Collaborator)

All perks from The Virtual Rainforest Companion and The Early Listener plus:

• Access to the new Wampís & Aboutface album (vinyl + digitally) 1 month prior to release (2027), and radio shout-outs for upcoming shows on NTS.
  
  
• Access to an exclusive project media folder with rainforest soundscape recordings, photography, and videos from the project.
  
  
• Your name will also be added to an artwork print that will be presented to the Wampís Pamuk

Thank you for reading and any support you are able to provide!

Yuminsuajme (Thank you in Wampís)

Ben & The Wampís Nation

Funding method

Keep what you raise – this project will receive all pledges made