Project Description
There is this popular belief that plants grow faster and healthier if their owner speaks to them or play them music. The Office of Dr. S. Plant pushes this idea further, by merging it with the environment of a psychiatrist office in which the plant is available to listen to humans. In this artificial environment, lights are dimmed so as to make visitors comfortable enough to interact with the plant-device as if it were a houseplant or a pet.
The plant sculpture holds 16 loudspeakers–speakerleaves–connected as microphones. A computer semi-randomly chooses which of the speakerleaf it listens to. When a visitor speaks into a speakerleaf–or when it picks up any other sound–the input sound is granulated, modified, and a resulting sound texture is played and spatialized across four loudspeakers across the room. Lights flicker slightly depending on the amplitude of the texture, showing the whole installation is paying attention.
Current Status
The speakerplant sculpture was given to someone and lost. The video recording of this installation has also been lost.
Materials
- Hardware: speakerplant sculpture (steel, 16 loudspeakers, electronics), psychiatrist chaise longue, four loudspeakers, computer, MIDI power supply, lights hung from ceiling
- Software: Max
Role
Design, sculpture, electronics, programming, sound design
Context
While studying Intermedia and Cyber Arts at Concordia University
Circa
2007