"Lifesaver" installation. Plants

Plants create places. They put down their roots wherever the soil is suitable for them and then have to manage there for the rest of their lives. Plants don't complain about hard life, they know how to appreciate the silver lining of the clouds. They gather life force from the sun, rain, the ground and often from their neighbouring fungi.

Since they are unable to move, they are masterful adaptors. They create places. The story of each place is passed on by the plants that grow there. A young forest tells of an old storm, a lichen growing on the tree bark tells of an earlier fire. Vegetation serves as the tapestry of the place. And if the plants like the place, you can see it.

Plants are able to grow in even the most difficult conditions. The date palms visible on the horizon are a lifeline for the desert nomads. A cactus filled with water shows that there is some water.
But when plants disappear, so does life.

The absence of plants sounds the death knell for the place. Where there are no plants, there is no life.

CODE

Image

If you want to create your own genetic music, you can use the free software Sonic Pi and the available download code here. You can adjust various parameters and instruments to alter the sounds.

LOCATION 

Image

The purpose of "Lifesaver" is to open an important field in modern science – genetics – in the symbiosis of art and science. By now, this branch of science has achieved great significance internationally, since it is connected to various fields of science and life, such as personal medicine, archaeology and mental health. In Estonia, the knowledge of genetics in society has increased thanks to the work of the University of Tartu's Estonian Biobank, which has been joined by one-fifth of the adult population of Estonia.

The artist of the 'Lifesaver' project is Valdek Laur, who works in the field of digital media and jewellery and metal art and is interested in scientific communication and the visualisation of complex concepts and data sets.

The „Lifesaver" installation is part of the project 'Toomemägi Revisited' within the main programme of the European Capital of Culture Tartu 2024, bringing the historical heart of Tartu to life with the help of light, culture and science. The project is supported by SA Tartu 2024 and the Estonian Research Council.

More information: "Lifesaver" installation