Biophony SoundGarden 2023

Listening to Plants

Explore how plants connected to PlantWave devices can translate their biorhythms into music.

About PlantWave

Biophony: SoundGarden features Metropolis musicians performing in sync with plants connected to PlantWave devices that translate plant biorhythms into sound.

When a PlantWave is connected to the leaves of a plant using two electrodes, the device can detect slight electrical variations, or “biorhythms.” The electrodes are picking up the amount and movement of water inside the plant. These tiny changes get translated by a computer into data.

This PlantWave data gets processed into a variety of textural sounds that are represented by musical notes. So the listener hears a real-time, continuous stream of notes coming from the plants, resembling a melody.

Measuring Plant Activity

Every plant is different and the activity levels of water flowing through the leaves can vary greatly over time.

For example, some plants may drone on one or two notes repeatedly. But others might produce elaborate melodies and more active frequencies after some sunlight and water during the day. Plants also will sometimes respond to human touch, variations in temperature, and even sound.

As a result, every listening experience at Biophony: SoundGarden will create unique soundscapes, giving the listener a “sonic window” into the secret life of plants.

Our Process for SoundGarden

  1. Plant Frequency Capture
    Frequencies are taken by PlantWave devices and translated into pitch.

  2. Plant Frequency Translation
    Frequencies are then translated into MIDI (digital music) information and sent to a computer.

  3. Plant Soundscape Creation
    The incoming MIDI data from the plants is processed and sound designed to create a continuous soundscape, or “plantscape.”

  4. Biofeedback Performance
    Depending on the resonance of sound in plantscapes, instructions within each graphic music score will direct Metropolis musicians to create certain binaural effects.

    Plants are also receptive “listeners” and will “react” to music being performed. The plants’ frequencies will also change in accordance to what specific music is being performed, creating an ever-evolving “duet” between plants and musicians.