Beyond Human Perception

The live footage of the talk, including the Q&A, can be viewed on the session page, VISAP: Papers 2.

Abstract

The artwork is a video installation that allows the audience to visualize and compare the reactions of humans and plants to a common stimulus; live music. Erasing boundaries into the communication and understanding between both living beings and by highlighting the immediate reactions of plants to their surrounding changes. The installation is the result of several sessions where the brain activity of humans was measured, through the EEG registered wave, and measuring the electrical oscillations that are happening into the plants, measured with a sensor developed by the artists, able to detect immediate changes in plants. Through the use of mathematics, by using the Fast Fourier Transform, humans data and plants data are able to compare each other. This data can also be displayed graphically thanks to an algorithm developed by the artists that allow the audience to see the data through the shape of little spheres that are moving within the geometric shape of torus. Each little sphere represent each data registered. The graphic representation of human data and plant data can be seen simultaneously in a video allowing the audience to find patterns by comparing the both living beings reactions to the live music. The video installation is composed by two synchronized videos. One video with the the concert for plants and humans, and the other one with the data visualization of two living beings responses during the performance. Through this artistic research we wanted to know more about the secrets language of plants. To know more about the plants’ language and behavior will allow us to know more about nature, thus we could beMer understand our environment. To have an impact in other fields such as climate change, which is a reality happening now; the more we know about our environment and the living organisms that are living with us on Earth, the more we can do to try to improve the situation. Plants could give us a lot of information that we cannot understand yet, but this can help formulate new questions.