what does it mean for a tree to grow old ?
As a result of intensive and unsustainable forestry, habitats have become fragmented, carbon sinks have weakened and up to three quarters of forest habitat types have become endangered. Insects and birds are disappearing together with old growth forests, which are replaced by evenly aged, single-species stands where only a limited number of organisms can survive. Despite this ongoing ecocide, people continue to seek refuge in these fragmented landscapes. Yet as simplified, managed forests replace complex ecosystems, our ability to recognize what truly thrives begins to diminish and our collective memory of what a forest can be slowly fades.
what does it mean for a tree to grow old ? is a site-specific sound installation that translates the DNA sequences of bracket fungi into music. Scattered across Kuusiluoto, each sequence is activated by the visitor's proximity to locations where bracket fungi has been recorded.
Using bracket fungi as indicators of forest health and biodiversity, the work invites listeners to experience ecological complexity through sound. As melodies overlap and intertwine, they reveal the living relationships sustained by old and slowly dying trees, asking what can be heard when we begin to listen to a forest as an ecosystem rather than a collection of trees.
site-specific sound installation,
zine and live performance
2026
[full live recording soon available on soundcloud]