biosonics

In 2015 electronic musician Jad Atoui joined molecular biologist Ivan Marazzi and together they conceived “Biosonics”.The aim of Biosonics is to use biological data to generate sonic compositions. In the first iteration of this concept, the authors use perturbation of a simple biological system to generate music. They leverage the fact that plants respond to environmental changes by generating micro-variations in electrical conductivity that can be measured by testers such as the Midi Sprout invented by Sam Cusumano (Data Garden/ Electricity for progress). Using this system, the authors record the behavior of plants under different chemical stimulations that mimic environmental changes (e.g. sun exposure, rain, darkness). The plant responses are then transformed into sonic compositions that are performed by musicians. The project was later published in John Zorn’s Arcana Book Vol. XVIII and premiered at The National Sawdust as part of The Stone’s commissioning series.

Biosonics ensemble: Michael Coltun (bass), Curtis Sydnor (piano), Lester St.Louis (cello), Joanna Mattrey (violin), Austin Vaughn (Drums), Ivan Marazzi (plants) Jad Atoui (electronics/prompter),