“All of nature begins to whisper its secrets to us through its sounds. Sounds that were previously incomprehensible to our soul now become the meaningful language of nature.” – Rudolf Steiner

Biodata sonification is a process which allows us to convert the activity of plants to music. Pioneered by creative engine/record label Data Garden, the device — called the MIDI Sprout — gives us a glimpse into the “secret life” of plants, and the subtle harmonies they generate that go undetected.

According to Data Garden, the MIDI Sprout works by “using two probes that measure small electrical currents across the surface of a plant’s leaf. When applied to a human this is called the galvanic skin response (GSR). GSR readings provide insight into humans’ inner emotional states and are the basis of simple lie detector circuits.

The MIDI Sprout converts these fluctuations into MIDI notes and controls that can be read by synthesizers and computers. This information can be scaled and played through synthesizers or used to activate pre-programmed sonic environments.”

The result is music that is hypnotically beautiful, generative, and fascinating. Another interesting part of this process is that it is not only limited to plants; it can also be used to sonify humans, and… ice cream (see video below)!

When we stop and take a deeper look at nature, we find many secrets which may tell us more about ourselves and our relation to the patterns of all life. Perhaps frequency is the universal key of connectedness, and although each harmony is different – it’s all still (beautiful) music.