Installation with copper, plastic, stainless
steel, aluminum, glass, headphones,
amplifier, and wood
Dimensions variable
Alex Metcalf’s Tree Listening installations
reveal to us what happens inside a
tree, where water and nutrients ascend
from roots to leaves through a complex
hydraulic system of xylem tubes in the
trunk. To create a sensory glimpse into
this system, Metcalf designed a listening
device, powered by solar energy, that
is placed on a tree trunk, linked to an
amplifier, and connected to a series of
headphones that hang from the branches
of trees in various locations in London
and around the United Kingdom. Through
the headphones, passersby can listen to
a tree’s inner workings—“a quiet popping
sound,” Metcalf describes, produced
by the water passing through the xylem
cells, as well as “a deep rumbling sound”
in the background, produced by the tree’s
movements. Through the device, the
tree bark is figuratively stripped away,
revealing a unique soundscape that
enhances our appreciation and understanding
of trees. The installation
joins science and art in a multilayered
interaction with the natural world.
