world tree ensemble : kauri flow

This Kauri is along the path to the McCahon residency cottage in Titrangi. The cable and connector are part of the sensor apparatus, measuring nutrient flow in the tree. The data then goes up to the project website, controlling audio. This tree is quite sad to see, as it's upper branches are withering away.

These are the saplings in Te Uru Waitakere. The tree voltage data, combined with that from the deseased tree at the McCahon house, controls the audio heard through the speakers.As can be seen above, one probe goes in to the ground and one into the trunk of the sapling.

As well as nutrient flow voltage data, we are also taking light and temperature readings. Above is an image of the data we are receiving - the top image is the McCahon House kauri, while the bottom image is from the saplings. Data lines A, B and C are voltage readings; you can see from the difference in the profile of the data, that the flow is significantly restricted in the McCahon House kauri, where the voltage has only a small range.

 

This project connects via the internet a diseased Kauri tree at the McCahon house in Titirangi, with two Kauri saplings in Te Uru Waitakere gallery. The live voltage readings from the trees determine which of 80 audio files are played on the project website. Kauri are natives and giants of the forest. The most well known is called Tane Mahuta, Lord of the Forest.

Kauri or podacarp die back disease is sweeping across stands of native forest in Aoterao New Zealand. The cause is unknown but it is cleaer that the disease is spread by humans. In a poetic conservationist turn, in kauri forests in the north of New Zealand, humans have to wipe their feet before entering and on leaving, areas where there are stands of kauri. We have had to adapt by wiping our feet in the bush, as if we were entering a carefully preserved homestead.

Kauri play a role in the Aotearoa New Zealand psyche, mainly on account of their huge girth and sheer scale in the forest. There was also and early industry of kauri gum harvesting, and widespread use as a building timber, including for ship masts. Ancient swamp kauri is a prized material for bowls and furniture.

The kauri at the Colin McCahon house were painted by the artist known as the greatest painter of the 20th century in New Zealand. Some of his earlier kauri works involved a dialogue with Cezanne.

The project in orientated the fact that all things are interconnected - for here we have trees connected to the internet, and a further connection is made from the trees to audio artists from three cultures - Māori, Dineh/Navajo, and Nunavut Inuit. I'm very thankful to Dr Te Huirangi Waikerepuru CNZM, Kura Puke, Darren Robert Terama Ward, Andrew Thomas and Stacey Aglok MacDonald for therir contribution of audio. I also want to acknowledge Andrew Hornblow, who makes custom data sensors, and Adrian Soundy and Julian Priest who authored the web interface and functionality.