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photosynthetic beats – utricularia vulgaris, marais des pontins

by Ludwig Berger

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1.
photosynthetic beats — utricularia vulgaris, marais des pontins I 10:18
2.
photosynthetic beats — utricularia vulgaris, marais des pontins II 10:12
3.
photosynthetic loop I 01:01
4.
photosynthetic loop II 01:01
5.
photosynthetic loop III 01:01
6.
photosynthetic loop IV 01:01
7.
photosynthetic loop V 01:01
8.
photosynthetic loop VI 01:01
9.
photosynthetic loop VII 01:01
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photosynthetic loop VIII 01:01
11.
photosynthetic loop IX 01:01
12.
photosynthetic loop X 01:01
13.
photosynthetic loop XI 01:01
14.
photosynthetic loop XII 01:01

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With 'photosynthetic beats — utricularia vulgaris, marais des pontins', landscape sound artist and educator, Ludwig Berger shares the minute polyrhythms of aquatic plants’ photosynthesis.

On a too-hot summer day in the Swiss Jura, Ludwig Berger was listening to bog ponds with an underwater microphone. Below the surface, lay swarming tapestries of submerged greenery bathing in sunlight. These were the aqueous cradle of oscillations essential to our world.

As aquatic plants photosynthesize, they release oxygen bubbles from their stems and leaves. The moment of release creates myriads of extremely short sound pulses, resulting in ever-changing polyrhythms stemming from different parts of the plant. At a particularly high frequency, the pulses become continuous tones. From these sounds, one can deduce if and how strongly the plant is converting CO2 to oxygen. This depends on light and temperature, but is also affected by contaminants, fertilizers or pesticides.

The two recordings were made in two different ponds, and in both cases the hydrophone was in close proximity to a common bladderwort (Utricularia vulgaris), a carnivorous aquatic plant. While in the first recording the process is left to itself, Berger intervenes in the second by using shadows to regulate the pace of activity. At first accidentally, then intentionally, the interplay of light and shadow triggered the plants to respond with various temporal and tonal shifts.

To emphasize the microscopic processes and polyrhythms of the plants, these recordings were saturated, equalized and dynamically processed. Yet they remain unedited and unchanged in their temporality. Later on, twelve loops were extracted from the recordings to further highlight the percussive nature of the photosynthetic phenomenon. These loops are featured as locked grooves on the release’s vinyl format.

The work was created at the residence of "La Dépendance" in St. Imier in July 2022. Thanks to Jan van Oordt and the Collectif du Pont.

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A recording from this release was nominated for the "Best Natural Sound" Sound of the Year Awards 2022 → www.soundoftheyearawards.com/2022

credits

released January 18, 2024

duration: 20’30’’ + 12 locked grooves — limited edition of 20
recorded by ludwig berger in 2022
plant scan by Rice, W. & Rice, M. (1970)
mastered by mathieu bonnafous
design by pablo diserens
published by forms of minutiae — fom07 — 2023

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Ludwig Berger Zürich, Switzerland

❄️🌵🕷️🦜🌋
landscape sound art + eco fiction music
💧🎐👂 🦑🫧

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