This project will seek to offer a new perspective on ethnobiology by facilitating the communication of ‘plant stress’ - which has been induced by anthropogenic climate change. The process of water transport in plants will be used as a lens through which to examine this. In our contemporary society, which prioritises technology over ecology, the abundance of water in our pipe networks is antithetical to its decreasing presence in plant vessels. By representing this idea through a sound installation, the project will seek to elevate our collective awareness of plant stress and help nurture a symbiotic relationship between plants and humans moving forward.

Anthropogenic climate change has had a significant impact on the water cycle, subsequently causing widespread droughts. These resulting droughts have had knock-on effects on the processes of transpiration and capillary action in plants. Typically, the sap would ascend in plants through the xylem tissues, distributing nutrients, providing a cooling function via evaporation, and maintaining the firmness and elasticity of soft tissues. When sap pressure, however, is abnormally negative - such as in times of drought - an event called cavitation occurs, generating an embolism of the sap circulation that can prove fatal.