Digital symbiosis between the sonic tree and the mycelial sporophore
This work features a metal structure equipped with a neural network that interacts with a parallel network signifying the symbiotic interaction between the tree and the fungus. As an autonomous installation that can be interacted with by touch, it aims to induce a new perception of electrical signals in living biological organisms. This steel organism, placed in a space surrounded by concrete, contains virtual nerve cells at its heart that exchange electrical signals from its metal cells, which propagate sound waves in the form of vibrations. Like any other tree, the struc- ture offers comfortable shelter, with the sound of insects and wind in its foliage, and that of the mycelial sporophore slowly developing in its roots.
This sound installation contains several autonomous programmable processors dedicated to real-time processing of algorithms and sound signals. The processors control 32 independent sound channels, each connected to one of the 16 loud-speakers located in the branches of the sound tree or to the 16 others making up the mycelial network. Several piezoelectric sensors placed at the top of the tree trunk amplify the sounds pro- duced by the movement of the metal chains, providing a response to the nervous stimuli linked to touch and the interaction between the two symbiotic networks. The processing carried out by the artificial neural network produces an or- ganic movement in the foliage that responds to the caresses of the tree trunk. Interaction with the mycelial network forms a subtle feedback loop that allows the two networks to feed off each other in a sonic symbiosis, illustrating the symbiotic association between fungi and tree roots, also known as mycorrhization.
Shows
- October 23rd – November 29th 2026, Mycorrhiza, Embodied Sounds : fréquences en résonance, Pyxis Explo, Lausanne CH
INstallation - September 29th 2024, Mycorrhiza, Maszkowicz 10^3, àDuplex, Genève CH
Installation