Interacting with Trees - Measurement? Communication? Art?
Find out how scientific measurement methods are used in the “Listening to the Rift Valley” project to connect and create art with trees.
“Listening to the Rift Valley” is an exploration of different forms of communication among trees and humans in the context of the Rift Valley (we approach the Rift Valley as a natural and a cultural phenomenon).
One facet of such communication is scientific exploration. Scientists' understanding of trees’ ability to communicate has been evolving. The Tree-to-the-Network (T2N) technology, developed by the EDEN project in collaboration with the INRA & Sorbonne University, enables artists to receive, register, & decode information emitted by trees. Artistic interpretations are enriched and changed by these new approaches, creating new bridges between humans and their surroundings.
Tree’s communication 3 (2021) by Olga Kisseleva, James Mweu, and James MuriukiOriginal Source: https://eaman.org/
Listening to a baobab
James Mweu and Olga Kisseleva after installing sensors on a Baobab tree in Lamu. Sensors were fixed in a non-traumatising way to monitor noise measurements, circulation of fluids within the tree trunk, electric signals, impulses and pressure, electromagnetic waves, shrinkages.
Scientific measurements’ technologies 1 (2021) by Olga Kisseleva, James Mweu, and James MuriukiOriginal Source: https://eaman.org/
Dr. Rahab Kinyanjui talking to artist Olga Kisseleva
Paleobotanist Dr. Rahab Kinyanjui shared her insights into what is known about the petrified trees of the Turkana Basin. These conversations informed the choice of sensors to obtain a signal for a petrified tree.
Scientific measurements’ technologies 12 (2021) by Olga Kisseleva, James Mweu, and James MuriukiOriginal Source: https://eaman.org/
Annual rings on a 12 million-year-old tree
Impressions of the annual rings are still present on the petrified trees of Turkana, Kenya.
Scientific measurements’ technologies 4 (2021) by Olga Kisseleva, James Mweu, and James MuriukiOriginal Source: https://eaman.org/
Annual rings, The Memory Garden project
Oak tree described by Hannah Arendt, annual rings, The Memory Garden project.
Measuring the wellbeing of a baobab, Manda island
A baobab tree on Manda Island has been outfitted with sensors which captured signals that were then color coded. The color coding was represented through khangas, a traditional Eastern African cloth.
Petrified forest, scientific measurements (2021) by Olga Kisseleva, James Mweu, and James MuriukiOriginal Source: https://eaman.org/
Listening to the Rift Valley
Sensors collect data from a 12 million-years-old tree, in the petrified forest of Turkana, Kenya. In communication with the petrified tree electrical resistivity tomography has been used. This method gives information on the tree interior and its integrity.
The role of trees in the spiritual and practical everyday life of the peoples of the Rift Valley cannot be overstated. This relationship has been one of the anchors of artistic expression and inspiration for artists of Eastern Africa for centuries. The “Listening to the Rift Valley” project is adding a new dimension to this relationship, bringing it into modern times respectfully, without losing the multiple cultural allusions and connections created by those who came before.
Being Time, performance 19 (2021) by Olga Kisseleva, James Mweu, and James MuriukiOriginal Source: https://eaman.org/
Interacting with Trees - Measurement or Communication (2021)
Authors: Olga Kisseleva, James Muriuki
Photographers: Ian Kathurima Kinyua (SwiftLab), James Muriuki, Margaret Ngigi
Video editing: Emmaus Kimani, Federico Debetto
Curator: James Muriuki
Project & Technical Coordinator: Emmaus Kimani
Project Director: Maria Amelina
Commissioned, co-created and co-produced by EAMAN
Participation of the TURKANA BASIN INSTITUTE is gratefully acknowledged.
Listening to The Rift Valley Project
https://eaman.org
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