What happens when a plant is understood not simply as something to observe but as an active participant in an artwork? This interdisciplinary installation brings together living plants, sound, photography, sculpture, glass, horticulture, architecture, and technology to explore how energy moves between biological systems, materials and people. 

Throughout the installation, plant-based sensing technology translates subtle electrical changes into sound, while conductive materials allow visitors to enter the system through touch. A repurposed hydroponic garden makes circulation visible as water, nutrients and signals continually move through the work. The project treats sustainability not as a theme added to the artwork, but as a way of making: materials are reused, knowledge is carried forward and one project becomes a resource for the next.

The idea at the center: exchange rather than control. A plant, a person, a piece of metal, circulating water and a sensing device can all become part of the same temporary system. Human touch may activate the work, but it does not fully determine what happens. Instead, sound becomes evidence of relationships unfolding in real time. 

Participants

Erin Boyle 
Assistant Director of Academic Enrichment 
Tyler School of Art and Architecture

Laurie Beck Peterson 
Adjunct Faculty, Photography 
Tyler School of Art and Architecture

Sandra James 
Senior Systems Administrator and Adjunct Faculty, Music Studies and Music Technology 
Boyer College of Music and Dance

Liv Rogers 
Graduate Student, Architecture 
Tyler School of Art and Architecture

Steph Haynesworth 
Undergraduate Student, Landscape Architecture
Tyler School of Art and Architecture

Alejandro Sanoja 
Zero Waste Specialist 
Temple University Office of Sustainability Ecology, Evolution and Biodiversity, Class of 2027

Rebecca Collins 
Director of Sustainability 
Temple University Office of Sustainability

Bryce Forys 
Sustainability Coordinator 
Temple University Office of Sustainability

Collaborating Program Areas

• Sculpture
• Glass
• Photography
• Architecture
• Landscape Architecture
• Music Studies and Music Technology
• Temple University Office of Sustainability
• Engineering