It is proven that plants hear, react and exchange through sounds. Their roots, for example, grow towards the sound of... Read More
It is proven that plants hear, react and exchange through sounds. Their roots, for example, grow towards the sound of water and their stress is made known by the emission of ultrasonic sounds.
Inspired by their communication, Polycephalum is a multisensory interactive installation that examines and aims to raise awareness of the intelligence of plants, their interconnection, and their constant dialogue with their environment. Combining technology and nature, the project invites the public, through sound and sight, to reconnect and share a moment of intimacy with plants. In addition, it encourages individuals to take note of their sound impact, positive and negative, on plants.
Taking inspiration from the shape of the physarum polycephalum (or blob), the installation consists of nine metal domes covered with mosses, primitive plants evoking the ancientness of plant communication.
On each dome, LED strips are hidden in the moss. An Arduino and two sensors placed under the domes capture the loudness of the room. When the space is quiet, a slight pulsation of the LEDs is activated, the public finding itself in front of a kind of meditative and mystical dozing garden.
Beyond a certain level of sound intensity, the brightness of the LEDs intensifies, and three speakers are activated, allowing the moss to react to the audience via a pre-recorded soundtrack. The soundscape lasts twenty seconds, then calms down again until the next reaction.
If the noise level is constantly too high, the installation saturates, that is, the brightness of the LEDs remains at its maximum and the moss can no longer respond, thus demonstrating the unpleasant situation in which the plants find themselves.
