Musical improvisation with a Selloum (Thaumatophyllum bipinnatifidum; reclassified from Philodendron bipinnatifidum)

Have you ever wanted to make music with your plants?

Biosonification is the process of turning biological data into music or sound. Here, I use a midi device that runs electricity through electrodes attached to the plant. The device reads changes in micro-conductivity, or how well electricity passes through the plant's tissue, as midi notes.

What you hear is the plant "playing" my digital instruments — it is important to note that this is not what my selloum 'sounds' like. This device can sonify anything that is conductive. While it is not known for certain each of the inner movements and processes that influence conductivity in plants, it likely has to do with the transport of water and ions (such as nitrogen) through the organism.

Perhaps a better title would be "plants playing". A helpful way of thinking about midi data biosonification is that, whenever there is a change in conductivity, it is equivalent to someone pressing or releasing a note on a keyboard.

A useful website for more information on biosonification using a midi device can be found here:

Biodata Sonification

Hold on … plants playing music, come on, really? Yes! And by listening closely you may find a better understanding of plants and of yourself! By measuring microcurrent fluctuations occurring …

electricityforprogress.com

For me, exploring plants and music through biosonification is an exciting way to create sounds and note sequences not possible by human hands. Generative synths can achieve similar results, but it is not near as fun as playing living organisms :)