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
'A beautiful soul': Funeral held for baby boy killed in wrong-way crash on Highway 401
A funeral was held on Wednesday for a three-month-old boy who died after being involved in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 in Whitby last week.
'Sophisticated' cyberattacks detected on B.C. government networks, premier says
There has been a "sophisticated" cybersecurity breach detected on B.C. government networks, Premier David Eby confirmed Wednesday evening.
Police handcuff man trying to enter Drake's Toronto mansion
Toronto police say a man was taken into custody outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion Wednesday afternoon after he tried to gain access to the residence.
Biden says he will stop sending bombs and artillery shells to Israel if they launch major invasion of Rafah
U.S. President Joe Biden said for the first time Wednesday he would halt shipments of American weapons to Israel, which he acknowledged have been used to kill civilians in Gaza, if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu orders a major invasion of the city of Rafah.
Canucks claw out 5-4 comeback win over Oilers in Game 1
Dakota Joshua had a goal and two assists and the Vancouver Canucks scored three third-period goals to claw out a 5-4 comeback victory over the Edmonton Oilers in Game 1 of their second-round playoff series Wednesday.
Nijjar murder suspect says he had Canadian study permit in immigration firm's video
One of the Indian nationals accused of murdering British Columbia Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar says in a social media video that he received a Canadian study permit with the help of an Indian immigration consultancy.
Pfizer agrees to settle more than 10K lawsuits over Zantac cancer risk: Bloomberg News
Pfizer has agreed to settle more than 10,000 lawsuits about cancer risks related to the now discontinued heartburn drug Zantac, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the deal.
Quebec premier defends new museum on Quebecois nation after Indigenous criticism
Quebec Premier Francois Legault is defending his comments about a new history museum after he was accused by a prominent First Nations group of trying to erase their history.
U.S. presidential candidate RFK Jr. had a brain worm, has recovered, campaign says
Independent U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had a parasite in his brain more than a decade ago, but has fully recovered, his campaign said, after the New York Times reported about the ailment.