“Indoors, we tend to use only two senses, our eyes and our ears. Outside is where we can smell the flowers, taste the fresh air, look at the changing colours of the trees, hear the birds singing and feel the breeze on our skin. And when we open up our senses, we begin to connect to the natural world.”
–Dr Qing Li
About the Noise Project
Our research is part of the NOISE Project, a national community science project on the effects of noise pollution funded by the National Science Foundation (DRL-1811234. It’s a co-created project in collaboration with the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and ICBOs. WorldBeat Center is one of the four CO-PI organizations leading the research and we bring the Arts in STE(A)M. We are raising awareness about noise pollution and promoting wellbeing and connection with nature – starting in our communities and moving to a national and global scale! We will identify loud areas, and create “noise refuges.” We’ll also record our levels of stress and wellbeing in those soundscapes.
To be most effective, we must change the way science is done so it includes our community voices. Collaborating in an equitable way means that this research isn’t being done “traditionally.” It’s co-created and co-led by community members so our communities benefit directly. We’re consciously prioritizing the values and strengths of our communities. We abide by our co-created working agreements and community review board non-negotiables. To learn more visit https://noiseproject.org
About the Healing Peace Garden
WorldBeat Center’s Healing Peace Garden is an urban oasis featuring countless rare edible and medicinal plants that hold cultural significance. The garden was designed as a special place to help teach our community about the healing role of plants in society.
What is Plant Music?
Forty years ago researchers at the Damanhur Federation of Communities near Turin in Italy started intensive research into plant communication, attempting to prove that plants were sentient beings. They developed a device out of this research, that can read the electromagnetic vibration of a plant and translate it into music.
The machine reads the pulse of a plant and then these pulses are put through an algorithm and a synthesizer within the device, translating it into sound. Just like a musician uses a violin or an oboe to create music, in the same way the plants are using the device to express themselves and make music. The trees and plants learn to control their electrical emissions, so they can modulate the notes, as if they are aware of the music they are producing.
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Healing Properties of Plant Music
Science shows us that being near trees and plants significantly improves our physical, mental and emotional wellbeing. Of course, the healing power of plants has long been understood by indigenous cultures who communed with nature and harnessed the power of plants in Flower Essences, oils, or herbs as well as going on nature journeys to healing their body, mind and spirit. Now the possibilities for plant healing have been taken a quantum step further with the arrival of the Music of the Plants.
The Noise Project 