On May 27th this year, people from all over the world gathered to witness the first annual Festival of the Music of the Plants  at the Parc Floral de Paris in France.

As to what such an event entails – it’s exactly as it sounds. At the festival,  a device called ‘Music of the Plants’ was used to pick up electromagnetic variations from the leaves and roots of plants, translating them into sound.

If you’ve ever wondered what the world would be like if nature had a voice, this device has brought us closer than ever before to our answer.

For over forty years, an Italian eco-community called Damanhur has been conducting research in renewable energy, eco-clothing, food production and natural healing. Their work towards communication with the plant world is arguably their most intriguing venture. In a quest for defence of health and nature, Damanhur has come forward with a device dubbed ‘Music of the Plants’ – an exciting new development in an unexpected field.

Music of the Plants is an instrument through which micro-voltages emitted by plants can be picked up and converted into sonic matter – music. Essentially, this device is an interpreter serving as the middle man between humans and plants.

So what’s the point?

When you can’t bring Mohamed to the mountain, you bring the mountain to Mohamed. It’s in this philosophy that the added value of Music of the Plants lies. In a world where there is little incentive to decrease harmful ecological impacts of industrial and technological activity, it’s the incorporation of nature in its pure, unadulterated form into technological innovation that is most promising.

Music of the Plants positions nature as a driver of technological innovation – portending the start of a new phase in the way we create and innovate. 

This device and the movement it stands for asks us to take on a new mindset: looking after the environment isn’t just an inconvenience to current socio-economic structures. Rather than thinking of ecological solutions as more costly than harmful routines that are already in place, we need to place nature at the centre of new innovation projects.

Our way of life – in almost all aspects – has been built on a slow process of digging our own graves. So far, global development has pivoted around mechanisms of exploiting our natural environment.

If we are ever to undo the damage that has already been done, we need to work from the ground up. We need to realise that it’s not our relationship with nature that is in need of revival, but rather our place within it.

Music of the plants could be a step in the right direction – towards healing our habitat and creating sustainable solutions – but only if we change our mindset before it’s too late.

With this device, we can help educate future generations about the importance of the natural world – and our own place within it. Music of the Plants is not just a new piece of eco-technology . It’s a bridge between environmental sustainability and creative innovation – not only imperative to our progress as a race, but to our survival.

Learn more about Music of the Plants and get involved with their mission here.