What do people hear if they really listen to a plant? The Library of Botanical Voices , a collaboration between the Norwegian composer Eirik Havnes and Benno Steinegger, is an archive that keeps growing around this question.
Every sound starts with a guided meditation. Participants focus on a plant they know very well and are taken on a phenomenological journey to get to know it better, until they start to search for the sounds the plant makes. Afterwards they describe what they have heard, and Eirik Havnes recreates those sounds in his studio.
Instructions for the meditation · 8 min Take part Listen to the instructions, then write to Eirik Havnes. Send your first name (optional), what plant it is and where it is, a description of the sounds you have heard (written or as an audio recording) and a picture of the plant.
The sounds 51 01 Aloe vera sound by Tobi 02 Avocado sound by Jens 03 Muehlenbeckia complexa sound by Maurizia 04 Orbea variegata sound by Daniela 05 Gardenia sound by Rami 06 Dracaena trifasciata sound by Mimmo 07 Maple sound by to be confirmed 08 Dwarf pelargonium sound by Svein 09 Succulent sound by to be confirmed 10 Rosebud sound by to be confirmed 11 Grass sound by to be confirmed 12 Unknown root sound by to be confirmed 13 Dandelion sound by Eirik 14 Black moss sound by to be confirmed 15 to be confirmed sound by to be confirmed 16 Cactus sound by Willy 17 Bladderwrack sound by to be confirmed 18 Cactus 1 sound by to be confirmed 19 Cactus 2 sound by to be confirmed 20 Map lichen sound by to be confirmed 21 Crowberry sound by to be confirmed 22 Monstera sound by to be confirmed 23 Mini monstera sound by to be confirmed 24 Aloe vera sound by to be confirmed 25 Oxalis sound by to be confirmed 26 Pansy sound by to be confirmed 27 Thuja hedge sound by to be confirmed 28 Thistle sound by to be confirmed 29 to be confirmed sound by to be confirmed 30 Rush sound by to be confirmed 31 Heather sound by to be confirmed 32 Cloudberry sound by to be confirmed 33 Monstera 3 sound by to be confirmed 34 Crassula ovata sound by Anja 35 Calla lily sound by Anne 36 Cherry tree sound by Benjamin 37 Fig sound by Bibbi 38 Spider plant sound by Helena 39 Little tree sound by Jan 40 Fern sound by Johannes 41 Tulip sound by Karl 42 Parlour palm sound by Kathrine 43 Tree sound by Lena 44 Wheat field sound by Liljan 45 Wood anemone sound by Max 46 Ivy sound by Oskar 47 Deciduous tree sound by Oskar 48 Fly agaric sound by Sebastian 49 Apple tree sound by Simen 50 Wood anemone sound by Snorre 51 to be confirmed sound by Tor Magnus A space for a new voice A space for a new voice A space for a new voice A space for a new voice A space for a new voice A space for a new voice A space for a new voice A space for a new voice A space for a new voice ← Library of Botanical Voices (Installation)