Potted plant 'performs' music at Indigenous art gallery on Vancouver Island
When Rande Cook first spotted the potted plant, he "hired" it on the spot.
“I call it my baby,” he laughs.
There was something about the snake plant that seemed to speak to him.
“I thought it would be a nice mascot in the gallery,” the artist smiles.
Like a sports team mascot, with leafy arms raised-up in a perpetual cheer, the plant seemed more than qualified to play the role of celebratory greeter at Rande's Leaf Modern art gallery.
“(Plants) bring a sense of life and joy,” he says.
And, it turns out, much more. But before Rande could know that about this plant, he had to explore what he already knew about his Indigenous culture.
“We have stories from the very beginning that there’s life in all you know,” Rande says. “Plants, animals, trees, everything.”
Rande’s been spending a lot of time experiencing the last remaining old growth forests with his wife Mona Cook, learning the science of how plants communicate from leading experts, and evolving his artwork to express that knowledge in a contemporary way.
“A lot of my work is very flowing and abstract,” Rande says. “But really it’s about that energy pulsating through nature.”
Which brings us back to the gallery mascot.
“You take these little electrodes and put them on the leaves,” Rande says as he connects the wires from the plant to what looks looks like a small wooden speaker.
Rande says the device senses the electrical variations in the plant, which are translated into music notes through this device.
The gallery is soon filled with the sounds of rhythmic, spa-like electronica.
“Our little mascot gained a voice!” Rande smiles, gently stroking a leaf, which leads to a subtle change in the music.
The plant now provides the soundtrack for the Leaf Modern (https://leafmodern.ca/).
Mona — who’s also the gallery director — says the music subtly changes throughout the day, depending on how the plant is touched, or when it's watered.
“There’s a beautiful zen that comes from listening to it,” Mona smiles, before wondering what the potential of the technology is.
“What about the plants in our garden? Our cucumbers? Do they play music?”
If one plant can transform from mascot to musician, one wonders what would happen if we took the time to listen to everything leafy in our lives. Just imagine what sort of band they could become.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
B.C. child killer's lawyer walks out of review hearing
The lawyer representing child-killer Allan Schoenborn walked out of his client's annual review hearing Wednesday – abruptly ending proceedings marked by tense exchanges and several outbursts.
Why drivers in Ontario, Quebec and Atlantic Canada will see a gas price spike, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
'A living nightmare': Winnipeg woman sentenced following campaign of harassment against man after online date
A Winnipeg woman was sentenced to house arrest after a single date with a man she met online culminated in her harassing him for years, and spurred false allegations which resulted in the innocent man being arrested three times.
How to avoid the trap of becoming 'house poor'
The journey to home ownership can be exciting, but personal finance columnist Christopher Liew warns about the trappings of becoming 'house poor' -- where an overwhelming portion of your income is devoured by housing costs. Liew offers some practical strategies to maintain better financial health while owning a home.
It's the biggest election in history. Here's why few Indians in Canada will take part
In the Indian general election that gets underway on Friday, almost a billion people are eligible to vote, but a vast majority of the overseas Indian community in Canada won't be casting a ballot.
McDonald's customers left with 'zero value' collection of free hot drink stickers after company ends program
It took years for Vinnie Deluca to collect more than 400 cards worth of free McDonald's McCafe coffee, a collection that now has "zero value" after the company discontinued the program.
Juror dismissed in Trump hush money trial as prosecutors ask for former president to face contempt
Prosecutors in the hush money trial of Donald Trump asked Thursday for the former president to be held in contempt and fined because of seven social media posts that they said violated a judge's gag order barring him from attacking witnesses.
Toxic forever chemicals in drinking water: Is Canada doing enough?
As the United States sets its first national limits on toxic forever chemicals in drinking water, researchers say Canada is lagging when it comes to regulations.
Where did the gold go? Crime expert weighs in on unfolding Pearson airport heist investigation
Almost 7,000 bars of pure gold were stolen from Pearson International Airport exactly one year ago during an elaborate heist, but so far only a tiny fraction of that stolen loot has been found.