Mileece and Permaculture

Our first class reminded me of and helped me rediscover an artist called Mileece who I was heavily inspired by last year. She is a self-described sonic-artist who sonifies interactions between plants and humans using SuperCollider. She does this by measuring plant "bio-emissions" with electrodes connected to her computer and converting this data into a sound in SuperCollier. When a human interacts with plants by touching them the measured bio-emission changes, so in a sense she can then perform a piece alongside plants. She explains her process in a much more inspiring and beautiful way in the video link below. She also talks a little bit about her opinions on plant sentience. I think interaction between the environment and humans is key in the scope of this project, and I think this is a great example of electronic music that conveys the importance and impact of this interaction.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wYU18eiiFt4

And this is one of her albums:
https://play.spotify.com/album/3vom7vChgitcAQh8W9LQRY

On a different note, I took a gap year two years ago during which I studied a design system called Permaculture. I mainly used Permaculture in reference to sustainability, agriculture, and community life during my gap year, but I am inspired by the possibilities Permaculture has to offer outside of this realm, specifically within music, where it is also intended to have an impact. I find the ideas within Permaculture especially relevant due to the ecological focus our project has.

My very simplified definition of Permaculture is essentially the designing of systems (agricultural, communal, educational, maybe even musical or theatrical) that mimic patterns found in nature that are self sustaining. This is a simple idea that can permeate many aspects of the design process, which is why I would be curious to have permacultural ideas in the back of my mind when composing/building/puppeteering/collaborating during this project. The principles of Permaculture (and their subtitles) are also key to the understanding of this idea. Not all of them have to be entirely relevant to the project, but I think they are interesting to think about. They are listed as follows:

1. Observe and Interact
        Beauty is in the eye of the beholder
2. Catch and Store Energy
        Make hay while the sun shines
3. Obtain a Yield
       You can't work on an empty stomach
4. Apply Self-Regulation and Accept Feedback
        The sins of the fathers are visited on the children unto the seventh generation
5. Use and Value Renewable Resources and Services
        Let nature take its course
6. Produce No Waste
        A stitch in time saves nine
7. Design From Patterns to Details
        You can't see the wood for the trees
8. Integrate Rather Than Segregate
        Many hands make light work
9. Use Small and Slow Solutions
        Slow and steady wins the race
10. Use and Value Diversity
        Don't put all your eggs in one basket
11. Use Edges and Value the Marginal
        Don't think you are on the right track because it is a well-beaten path
12. Creatively Use and Respond to Change
        Vision is not seeing things as they are but as they will be