Plants and Fungi are Making Music: Meet the Artists Behind ’Bionic and the Wires’
London, UK - Forget everything you thought you knew about musical inspiration. A groundbreaking artistic project called Bionic and the Wires is turning the natural world into an orchestra, translating the electrical activity of plants, trees, and even fungi into captivating soundscapes.
Creators Jonathan Paul Ross and Andy Kidd are pioneering a process called “biosonification,” using biosensors to detect the subtle bioelectrical variations within living organisms. These variations, triggered by responses to environmental changes, are then converted into musical notes.
“We are connecting biosensors to fungi and plants, and those sensors pick up on bioelectrical variations that are happening,” explains Ross. “That electricity – those changes – are as the plant and the fungi are reacting to environmental conditions.”
the result? Music, though perhaps not as we traditionally define it. The duo doesn’t claim to be interpreting the “thoughts” of plants, but rather listening directly to their physiological responses. “We’re not reading the thoughts of the plant or the fungi… But we are listening to their bodies, so we’ve got a direct connection with the physiology and the music that they’re playing,” Ross clarifies.
Bionic and the Wires captures these unique sounds both in a studio setting and directly in nature. Imagine a mushroom “playing” a keyboard beneath a sprawling oak tree in the UK, or an apple tree ”jamming” on a guitar and handpan. To enhance the musicality, Ross and Kidd employ “bionic arms” to translate the biological data into motor movements, selecting instruments that lend themselves to organic sounds and utilizing effects like reverb to create rhythm and structure.
“Practically, plants and fungi aren’t very good musicians,” Ross admits with a laugh. ”That means that you have to be quite creative with the types of instruments that you’re using.”
Beyond the music itself, Bionic and the Wires extends its artistic reach. The team produces videos showcasing their botanical musicians, hosts live concerts, and even utilizes bionic arms to guide paintbrushes, allowing plants to create visual art. Though, it’s the synthesized sounds – the music born from the living world – that are truly captivating audiences and challenging perceptions of what music can be.
keywords: Bionic and the Wires, plant music, fungi music, biosonification, botanical art, environmental art, music technology, Jonathan Paul Ross, Andy Kidd, nature sounds, experimental music.
