Stones have voices and tell stories about what humans can‘t perceive. They talk about the omnipresent fungi network, the growth of plants and the language of trees. Only by direct skin contact visitors are able to hear the stories told by stones, describing – invisible for us – fungi networks or inaudible dialogues between trees. By holding the stone close to the ear, an intimate and emphatic moment triggers the awareness of the other species’ significance and agency.
The ‘Humming Stones’ were presented in 2021 as part of the Grünes Labor and State Garden Biennial in Weimar.
Sound Engineering: Lukas Grundmann
Voice: Bitsy Knox
Scientific consulting: Max Planck Institute für Chemische Ökologie, Jena
Pictures: Jannike Stelling
Supported by: Klassik Stiftung Weimar
Gosia Lehmann & Valerian Blos are artists-designers duo based in Berlin, working together since 2016. Their research-based practice exists on the cross-section of arts, technology and science. They engage audience by creating interactions, through thoughtfully designed experiments and participatory installations. The duo’s practice combines digital and traditional crafts with explorations of unorthodox materials. Their works often function as a trigger for dialogue and critical reflection, regarding human relation to other species and boundaries between living or non-living matter. Gosia and Valerian are teaching at University of Arts in Berlin and exhibited together among others at Tama Art University Tokyo, ‘Good Design Week’ Design Lounge Tokyo, Futurium, Berlin, Natural History Museum, Berlin and Bundesgartenschau (Federal-Garden- Biennial) Weimar. In 2019 they co-founded artist collective Lagoon Parliament and in 2021 they founded project space/artist studios Solaris.