Field of Listening - with Bettina Geisselmann
Installation
Capturing process
"Field of Listening" (2024). IV Contemporary Creation and Rural Environment Meeting by Néxodos.
Candamo (Asturias)
"When we have learned to listen to the trees, we will feel at home."
-- Hermann Hesse. The Wanderer
A reflection on how we perceive nature, how we relate to it, and even how we feel part of it. Field of Listening interprets the communication between plants, trees, and humans, making visible our interaction with the environment we inhabit.
Plants are intelligent living beings capable of communicating with their counterparts about threats such as predators or plagues. Large, old trees care for the younger saplings around them, providing not only nourishment but also information. They possess memory and can transmit it to future generations, enabling adaptation to changing environments.
At all times, plants communicate through electrical impulses. Though these signals are inaudible to humans, they can be recorded and transformed into MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) notation using specialized sensing technology. This installation offers a visual approach to this form of communication.
Our interest lay in capturing and visualizing, from an artistic perspective, the potential relationships and exchanges of information among plants and trees as they respond to changes in temperature, water availability, location, and other environmental factors.
The data collected from several trees at different moments is represented in the Field of Listening installation, forming a reflection of the musical score naturally emanating from the trunks and leaves of these living beings.