Have you ever wondered what plants would say if they could speak? Would your wilting peace lily scold you for its lack of hydration, would your beloved monstera tut at the amount of Netflix you watch?
These questions might remain a mystery for now, but while we can’t hear plants talk yet we can hear them sing!
From Wednesday 1 until Sunday 5 March at the Adelaide Botanic Gardens you can start to discover the hidden language of plants, as you wander through the Celestial Gardens. As part of the Adelaide Fringe Festival, the Bicentennial Conservatory has been taken over by this interactive installation that allows us to hear the tiny plant vibrations constantly happening all around us.
Presented by Sacred Resonance and In Search of the Divine, the installation uses technology to translate the biodata of the plants into sound. As you walk along the rainforest display you will be bathed in the ethereal chorus of singing plants.
It’s said that by interacting with the plants through movement and touch, they will respond back to you through different sonic vibrations. We walked through the darkened paths and spoke to the plants ourselves, and truth be told, there’s definitely a noticeable response from each individual plants that’s hooked up to the tech.
Take your time in this magical experience, and allow the floral melodies of plants to relax and transport you to a land which dinosaurs would probably call home. Gentle, roving performers add to the whimsical ambience, while artsy mushroom displays up the ante by your feet.
Multicoloured lights illuminate the enclosure in all shades of the rainbow, while fairy lights wrap around the footpaths, guiding you through the tropical display. The entire experience can be done at your own pace, tread lightly!
As you sip on your complimentary botanical drink, absorb the sounds of some uber talented musicians in the candlelit, seated area outside the Conservatory. We we’re graced by a goosebump-enticing vocalist and an incredible acoustic guitarist, with a water fountain for a backdrop.
The venue will also have more refreshments available at the Botanical Bar to ensure you don’t go thirsty; serving a selection of drinks, including a special non-alcoholic botanical spritzer made with herbs from a local garden.
While at face value this experience is fun and lighthearted, it aims to tackle issues of a more serious nature. Through the Celestial Garden the artists and curators hope to ignite conversations around how we can re-establish a balanced relationship between humanity and the environment, by giving nature the ability to speak. If nature could talk, what would it say about how we’ve been treating it?
The Celestial Garden experience is a place where you will connect to nature in a way you’ve never experienced before, and perhaps develop a new understanding of the incredible natural systems that are happening all around us.
Explore the secret garden and discover pathways of light, vivid colour, and aural art and listen to the enchanted rainforest as it sings to you in the unknown language of nature. Whether we ever will manage to communicate with plants is unknown, but it’s worth thinking about. And if plants could speak, what would you say to them?