On July 28, Reethaus welcomes listeners to 360-degree spatial sound immersion by Mileece, the pioneering sonic artist and biophilic technologist. Playing with machines and physics to transform the bio-electrical information of humans and plants into sound, Mileece creates sonic experiences that prompt reflection on the invisible powers in which we are immersed. The composition presented in this Listening Experience combines new recordings and her archive of selected algorithmic and biogenerative works from 1999 to today, moving through her sound design journey.
This includes new iterations of previous pieces, recordings from various biomes around the world, as well as the groundbreaking album called “Formations” from 2004, based on natural phenomena such as light’s changing patterns.
Mileece creates installations that transform the bio-emissions of people and plants into harmonic, spatial, generative elements of symbiotic composition, delightfully reminding us of our intrinsic, irrevocable biophilia. These latter sounds emerge across species boundaries through a hand-built technology called PiP (Plant Interface for People), a custom “electrobotanigraph” and software system that Mileece created in 2005 during her residency at the innovation lab of the London School of Economics. PiP senses and digitizes the subtle voltages emitted by plants such that they can directly animate an array of synthesizers programmed in SuperCollider.
Mileece’s process evolves the earliest plant biodata experiments carried out in the sixties, departing from basic frequency modulation into the full-throated, textured expression afforded by plants. The gesture is Mileece’s contribution to what technology could be—something that amplifies nature and leads us back to a wilder earth.
