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The desire to be among nature is instinctive to us. Countless studies demonstrate that humans thrive, both mentally and physically, when we nurture our connection with the environment. Yet, in an era of rapid technological evolution and environmental degradation, our modern model of progress seemingly severs our ties with the natural world. Classic visions of the future imagine flying cars and virtual reality, not expansive forests and flourishing wildlife.
Musician and former biologist Tarun Nayar, also known as Modern Biology, is here to show us that scientific and technological development can be used to deepen our connection with nature, as opposed to diminishing it. Nayar collaborates with plants to make music by channelling their bioelectric activity into modular synthesisers. He attaches electrode sensors to their leaves and uses their electric impulses to inform the synth’s melodic changes. In a remarkable partnership between science and culture, humans and nature, Nayar doesn’t just use plants as inanimate instruments, but as active collaborators in his music-making process.
We first heard of Tarun Nayar back in 2022, when he went viral for making music out of mushrooms. Their ambient, off-kilter beeps and boops embodied the psychedelic sound you’d imagine a mushroom would make. With over 50 million views across all platforms, Nayar’s work moved people from across the globe. Audiences weren’t just fascinated by the technology he used; they were emotionally invested in the connection he fostered with his plants.
On a recent tour across India, Nayar invited audiences to watch his plant music unfold live. In Bengaluru, rapt audience members closed their eyes and swayed to the tune of the tree hanging above their heads. In Kerala, Nayar used a variety of local mushrooms and other flora to create a beautiful ambient soundscape for listeners at the Nisarga Arthub.
His ventures across India allowed him to harness the power of unique Indian plant life in his art. In one particularly moving video, Nayar sits amongst the crowded roots of a Mumbai mangrove forest as the trees around him play a charming tune on his synth. As the mangroves around Mumbai deplete at a concerning rate, their soft chime calls us to reconnect with our natural environment and protect them.
While Tarun Nayar is not the only electronic musician using plants to make music, he is one of the most prominent faces in a movement intersecting art and nature. His music is a whimsical interplay between human interpretation and the environment, a testament to the beautiful connections that can be fostered with both nature and our communities when we use technology in the right ways. The future doesn’t have to be all sleek skyscrapers and grey skies. Instead, we can imagine and work towards a world in which technology, art, and the environment work in harmony, like the song a forest sings when we tap into its energy.
"Growing up playing Indian classical music has really influenced the way I approach music. I tend to use different musical modes for different seasons and times of day. I think much about this style of composition— the improvisation, the timbres, the connection to nature— is similar. So it was very special to work with the native plants of [India]! Cardamom, mangroves, even the majestic banyan trees. Every being is energetic, and, for me, this practice allows me to connect with nature and our non human communities in a profound way."
Tarun Nayar for Homegrown
Follow Tarun Nayar here.
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