Biophony SoundGarden 2023

The Experience

Here’s what you will experience as you move through the installation at Brooklyn Botanic Garden.

The Well

  • Start your journey in the lower level of the conservatory for an immersive healing sanctuary with ethereal performance featuring gong installation (Samer Ghadry), harp (Mélanie Genin), electric cello (Topu Lyo), synths and electronics (Ricardo Romaneiro, Adam November, Ayaka Matsui).

  • The space will be transformed into four color chambers using “chromotherapy,” the art of healing through visible color frequencies.

  • You will be invited to sit or lie down on a floor cushion and intentionally change your breathing patterns to improve your mental, physical, and spiritual well-being.

Tropical Pavilion

  • The Tropical Pavilion features soaring trees, waterfalls, and plants from tropical and rainforest environments.

  • Experience an ambient, warm, harmonious, “antiphonal” soundscape featuring three trombones (Caleb Smith, Zekkereya El-Magharbel, Kalun Leung).

  • Your “alpha” brainwaves will be stimulated to evoke a sense of relaxation and reflection.

Desert Pavilion

  • The Desert Pavilion displays trees, cacti, wildflowers, and succulents native to arid regions of the world.

  • Experience a melodic, still, and dry, soundscape featuring double basses on drones and pedals (Evan Runyon, Eleonore Oppenheim).

  • Your “beta” brainwaves will be stimulated to evoke a sense of conscious focus and concentration.

Bonsai Museum

  • The Bonsai Museum features a world-class collection including some trees well over a century old.

  • Experience flutes (Matthew Evan Taylor, David Leon) with gayageum, a traditional Korean plucked zither for strings (DoYeon Kim).

  • Your “delta” brainwaves will be stimulated to evoke a sense of relaxation and deep sleep and sonic healing.

Aquatic House and Orchid Collection

  • The Aquatic House features a variety of tropical and subtropical aquatic and wet-environment plants.

  • The Orchid Collection features a diverse sampling of the Garden’s collection of several thousand orchids.

  • Experience an evocative, ambient soundscape featuring synths (Erika Dohi), violin with pedals (Lauren Cauley), and vocals (Sara Serpa).

  • Your “theta” and “gamma” brainwaves will be stimulated to evoke a sense of floating, dreaming, imagination, creativity, and a flow state.

Warm Temperate Pavilion

  • The Warm Temperate Pavilion houses plants that thrive in cool, wet winters and hot, dry summers.

  • Explore the conservatory with a soundscape featuring vocals (Hannah Sumner), contra alto clarinet (Yuma Uesaka), and viola (Joanna Mattrey).

  • Your “alpha” brainwaves will be stimulated to evoke a sense of comfort and meditation.