Oneiric Olive

Sonification of Olive Tree Data | Wild Alchemy Lab

Onieric Olive has so far been played at The Barbican, COP28, The London ICA & The Symbiocene Summit 2024: Bioanarchy, & B-Regen at Royal College of Art, and WORLDING 2025 at MIT Boston.

During the Oneiric Soils Residency Jamie Perera and Jemma Foster (Wild Alchemy Lab) made recordings of an olive tree growing in the house where the residents were sleeping. Recordings were taken using multiple devices to measure the electricity biodata of the tree, at sunset as it went to 'sleep' and a few hours later during human REM cycles. These recordings were played to the group during the day and before bed. In the mornings the group recorded their dreams, talking in unison. This was then converted to the same sine wave pattern of the tree and played to the tree during the day. This, together with meditations with the tree, led to a liminal feedback loop between person and plant as an act of social dreaming. Many residents recorded dreaming with the olive tree during this time.

Composed and produced by Jamie Perera & Jemma Foster

Links:

Oneiric Olive - Wild Alchemy Zine