Buzz
Mushrooms are known for their flavor in savory dishes, but according to Boing Boing, they can also make mesmerizing music. In the video above shared by the site, you can see a mushroom “performing” on a keyboard. But who’s creating this unique sound, and what technology brings it to life?
The magic behind this is thanks to Bionic and the Wires, a creative collective from Manchester, UK, who cultivate plants and mushrooms to create electronic music. By utilizing natural processes like photosynthesis and growth, they generate electrical bio-signals that can power devices. Sensors placed on the mushrooms detect these vibrations, which are then transformed into signals that control robotic arms, resulting in the “performance” seen in the video.
Bionic and the Wires’ YouTube channel hosts 16 videos featuring plants or mushrooms playing instruments. Their most popular video is “Mushroom Playing Keyboard,” followed by “Mushroom Playing a Handpan.” Other instruments played by their plants and fungi include the violin, glockenspiel, and drums. While this isn’t the first example of stationary lifeforms creating music with electronics, Bionic and the Wires takes it a step further by giving their mushrooms and plants robotic arms, making it appear as though they are controlling the rhythm themselves.
Other artists merging music with biology include MycoLyco, a mycological researcher who connects his pink mushrooms to synthesizers, allowing them to “communicate.” According to Nerdist, the creator has even hosted live mushroom performances for his audience, and interestingly, he consumes the mushrooms after their musical sessions. The Guardian also highlights that Tarun Nayar’s “organismic music,” which creates ambient soundscapes, has gained significant traction. The former biologist and electronic artist has amassed over 900,000 followers and 21.3 million likes on TikTok.
