Hug a tree and listen to it sing: Singing Trees combines music and nature, technological ingenuity and interaction. How can we become aware of the impact of human activity on the earth’s ecosystem? This is a novel system in the age of the anthropocene ! Commissioned by the Louvre Abu Dabi and the Théâtre du Châtelet, Singing Trees is created by the London-based Umbrellum collective, in collaboration with Ircam Amplify, which brings the audio revolution into everyday life.
Surrounded by non-invasive electronic “straps”, the trees have become a non-human choir. When the audience approaches them and embraces the trunks, the sound volume becomes louder and more harmonious. For the singing trees of the Palais Royal, the Théâtre du Châtelet commissioned a song from Pierre-Yves Macé. Original music will be composed for each edition of Singing Trees.
Inaugurated in Abu Dhabi in February 2020, this installation will be presented in cities all over the world, Paris, London, New York.. then again in Paris for the Olympic Games in 2024.
September 10 through Sun 20 September 2020 – Jardin du Palais-Royal, Paris – Free entry
Singing Trees installationPremiere2020
commissioned by the Louvre Abu Dhabi and the Théâtre du Châtelet with the support of Bloomberg Philanthropies. With the exceptional participation of Centre des Monuments nationaux Umbrellium design installation
based on an idea by Marc Dondey and Ruth Mackenzie Ircam Amplify sound design Songs Legs Logs by Pierre Senges and Pierre-Yves Macé (premiere), All is full of love by Björk, Noces à Grenelle by Abd Al Malik
Traditional songs L’Ayyala (Arabic), Greensleeves (English), and L’Amour de moy (French)
