A pothos plant’s bioelectrical fluctuations (resistance and capacitance driven by cellular signaling, environmental stress, light, and touch) are translated into MIDI data and rendered as sound and projected visuals in real time. Somax2 (IRCAM), Ableton, and TouchDesigner form the technical system. Somax2 generates responsive material drawn from a learned corpus of Erne Murphy’s voice, shadowing the plant’s output. The instrument is the transducer. The artist is the translator. The plant is the composer.
Erne Murphy is a Sarasota-based multimedia artist pursuing a B.A. in Environmental Studies at New College of Florida. Her work sits at the intersection of environmental education, creative arts, and embodied learning. Ashkan Tabatabaie is an interdisciplinary composer, performer, and scholar. He holds a PhD in composition, has completed postdoctoral research in auditory perception and physiology, and is Assistant Professor of Music and Digital Media at New College of Florida.
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