Symbiophony is an immersive interactive artwork that transforms human voices into layered natural soundscapes, creating a dynamic environment where participants and the surrounding “ecosystem” co-evolve. Inspired by Stacy Alaimo’s Bodily Nature and post-humanist ecological thinking, the installation uses sound, light, and material metaphors to reframe the relationship between humans and nature—from protection and control to coexistence, intra-action, and shared agency.
It invites participants to engage through their voice, one of the most intimate forms of human expression, to activate a responsive ring of light and evolving natural sound textures.
While vision dominates human perception, sound is a more intimate and embodied way of experiencing nature. Unlike fleeting visual impressions, sound requires proximity, attention, and time.
Symbiophony foregrounds this sensory intimacy—participants contribute their voice, and the environment responds with rustling leaves, bird calls, cosmic hums, and geological vibrations.
It transforms the voice into a shared ecological resonance.
Drawing from Stacy Alaimo, Donna Haraway, and Samantha Frost, the installation reframes human–nature relationships through:
- Material Agency: Nature as an active, interacting entity
- Symbiosis: Humans and ecosystems as mutually dependent
- Geological Forces: Humans embedded within Earth’s processes
The work resists the narrative of “protecting nature”—which often implies control—and instead proposes coexistence, interdependence, and embodied ecological imagination.
At the center of the installation is a glowing circular LED ring, suspended like a halo.
- Its gentle pulsation mirrors breath, wind, and natural rhythms
- It serves as a symbolic axis of unity between the human voice and the ecosystem
- Surrounding vines, leaves, and flower-like microphones blur the boundary between synthetic and organic
The installation creates a cocoon of immersion where participants become both observers and co-creators.
Participants’ voices are captured through directional microphones, analyzed via FFT, and transformed into seven layers of natural soundscapes, including:
- Birdsong
- Rustling leaves
- Whispering winds
- Bubbling water
- Starry vibrations
- Deep earth rumbles
- Cosmic symphonies
LED responses mirror the frequency and amplitude of the voice, creating synchronized audio-visual feedback.
Symbiophony integrates:
- Audio: dual speakers + 4-channel amplifier + FFT sound analysis
- Visual: WS2812 LED system controlled via ESP32/Arduino
- Fabrication: custom 3D-printed PLA structure, metal stand, vines/leaves
- Computation: real-time microphone input transforming into natural sound layers
This creates a seamless loop between human input → natural transformation → immersive output.
How can interaction enhance symbiosis between humans and nature?
