TOMASZ

Symbiotic Earth: How Lynn Margulis Rocked the Boat and Started a Scientific Revolution from Bullfrog Films on Vimeo.

“When berries spread out their giveaway blanket, offering their sweetness to birds and bears and boys alike, the transaction does not end there. Something beyond gratitude is asked of us. The berries trust that we will uphold our end of the bargain and disperse their seeds to new places to grow, which is good for berries and for boys. They remind us that all flourishing is mutual. We need the berries and the berries need us. Their gifts multiply by our care for them, and dwindle from our neglect.”

“When berries spread out their giveaway blanket, offering their sweetness to birds and bears and boys alike, the transaction does not end there. Something beyond gratitude is asked of us. The berries trust that we will uphold our end of the bargain and disperse their seeds to new places to grow, which is good for berries and for boys. They remind us that all flourishing is mutual. We need the berries and the berries need us. Their gifts multiply by our care for them, and dwindle from our neglect.”

Robin Wall Kimmerer

for Kimmerer, “Experiments are not about discovery but about listening and translating the knowledge of other beings.”

CAN ATTUNING TO MY DREAMS HELP ME 
MAKE KIN WITH THE NON HUMAN?

I AM A
HOLOBIONT

Robin Wall Kimmerer

I used a bottle with a cutting to tension the tape loop. The plant’s leaves ended up resting on the tape and when the loop is moving the leaves gently “grab” it with friction. The tape speed is not stable which results in pitch warble.

If we connect with other organisms, we take care of them better. So they may in fact grow better — not because of music, but because of our sense of connection to them.

After recording this video I realized that I ended up placing the cutting in a perfect sunlight spot. Few days passed and the plant started growing towards the window and developed healthy roots. I have now planted it in its new pot with soil and it seems to be thriving well.

KINSHIP WITH PLANTS THROUGH MUSIC

“The intention of this project is to facilitate the connection between humans and nature. Instead of perceiving nature as something that's separate from us, or outside of our homes, we can recognize nature as something that is within us and in everything we do in our daily lives. You don't need to have access to the great outdoors to feel connected to the environment.” GREEN-HOUSE

TAPE LOOP WITH TRADESCANTIA ZEBRINA

DURING ONE OF OUR WALKS IN THE FOREST WE ENCOUNTERED PEOPLE SETTING UP A LIGHT/SOUND INSTALLATION.

THE INSTALLATION WAS NOT READY YET AND DIDNT INTEREST US BUT THE AMBIENT SOUNDS PLAYING FROM THE SPEAKERS HELPED US CONNECT TO THE FOREST FLOOR.

I SHOT THIS SHORT CLIP WHILE TRYING TO IMAGINE HOW A FOREST CRITTER COULD EXERIENCE THAT MOMENT

Six songs for Invisible Gardens (out Jan 15, 2020) by non-binary Los Angeles-based artist Green House. It was written with the intention of transforming the listening environment and augmenting domestic space. The music is designed as a
communication with both plant life and the people who care for them.

RESEARCH FOR MY MAJOR

CLICK

KINSHIP WITH PLANTS THROUGH MUSIC

CLICK

So.. i found out its quite easy to build a device that detects electric impulses of a plant and translates them to notes to then play them on any synthesizer I plug it into. It runs on an arduino uno board. Its an open source project by electricityforprogress.com

"By measuring microcurrent fluctuations occurring across the surface of a plant’s leaf, this Biodata Sonification device generates MIDI notes when a change in conductivity is detected, allowing a user to listen into the invisible biological processes occurring within plants."

I have no clue what microcurrent fluctuations are or do and why are they occurring on the plant's leaves.

fluctuations are always interesting.

PLANT GOSSIP

WHAT SPECIES IS THIS?

THEY LIKE TO TRAVEL IN PACKS.

I keep experimenting with plant sonification, just trying different things and showing them to people. Not recording the results.
The first question I always get is: BUT HOW DOES IT WORK? and I can't really answer that, neither I want to.

I don't really know how the device works or why does the plant have microcurrents on its leaves. I think it is how plants react to things. I found some papers on how plants are like brains but I won't even try to understand the bioscience talk.

I simply like how it visualises or rather "sonifies" processes occurring in the plant, which normally we can't see in real-time. Of course, you can make a timelapse and see a plant move and react to sunlight, but to see it without changing the time scale is something special. I can hear something which I'm not supposed to hear. I can hear the plant gossip.

I don't know what the plants are saying. They generate random strings of notes. Maybe I am not listening to them correctly. After all, I am using human technology and human culture to interpret the plants' gossip. I am translating the differences (changes) in the plants' microcurrents into high or low notes. I can limit the notes to a specific scale and make the plants sound happy with a Major scale or sad with a Minor scale. I can also just let them play the chromatic scale (all notes in an octave).
I don't think my choice matters. I am not trying to understand what the plant is saying.

Super-Organism The Living Microbiome from Anna Dumitriu on Vimeo.

BACK TO MICROBES!

BACK TO MICROBES!