Speaking Willow

“Speaking Willow” is a sound sculpture in the shape of a weeping willow tree, between 16 and 20 feet high, which adorns the entrance of the Planet Word Museum. The tree sculpture is fabricated in aluminum and is hollow, except the trunk and branches carry inside data cables that emerge from the structure and hang vertically, slowly swaying with the wind. The tree is covered by living vine, Ivy or other evergreen climbing plants that warm-up the design.

General info

Spanish name:
Sauce Parlante
French name:
Saule Parleur
Year of creation:
2020
Technique:
Custom-made electronics, loudspeakers, computers, 3D tracking systems, wood, steel, aluminium, ivy, soil, LED lights, polycarbonate bells, silicone, ethernet cables
Power:
3000W
Dimensions:
6m high
Keywords:
outdoor, permanent, site-specific, tracker, database, lights, sound, interactive, sculpture, surveillance
Edition:
1 Edition, 1 AP
Collectors:
Planet Word Museum

Exhibitions

  • Speaking Willow: Language, Art, and Technology, The Language Preservation Initiative, 2021.
  • Speaking Willow, Planet Word, Washington, D.C., United States, 2020.

Credits

  • Programming and Hardware: Stephan Schulz, Caroline Record, Tegan Scott
  • Design: Rebecca Murdock, Kitae Kim
  • Production Assistance: Sean Kizy, William Sutton, Carolina Murillo-Morales, Sarah Amarica, Karine Charbonneau, Guillaume Tremblay
  • Fabrication: UAP

Bibliography