MUZAK FOR THE WOODLANDS
MUZAK FOR THE WOODLANDS [2023]
Materials: Mixed Media, Radio Receiver/Transmitter, Plantwave Device, [Variable Dimensions]
Muzak for the Woodlands is a site-responsive piece that combines biodata sonification devices with the largely forgotten experiments of American inventor George O. Squier, who investigated using living trees as antennas for radio communication.
Rebuilding DIY versions of Squier's experimental devices and utilising biodata sonification technology, the work employs trees as living antennas to broadcast typically inaudible biological processes. Using ‘off-the-shelf’ biodata devices, aimed at appealing to an eco-new-age market, the sounds lean heavily towards clichéd 'woo woo' meditation music. This artificial ambient drone connects back to another Squier invention, ‘muzak’, the bland background music piped into retail environments. The culminating experience becomes a real-time broadcast of a 'muzak for the woodlands.'
The work was developed with the support of the I-Park Foundation, Connecticut, USA.