Phototrophe

Phototrophe offers a poetic and sensitive interpretation of the photosynthesis phenomenon in algae, made audible through highly sensitive hydrophones. This sound creation immerses the listener in aquatic environments with turbid or stagnant waters: marshes, ponds, rivers, often perceived as silent, but actually teeming with life and invisible vibrations.

These discreet ecosystems harbor an unsuspected soundscape, revealed through the use of hydrophones. During photosynthesis, algae release tiny oxygen bubbles. As these bubbles escape from their surfaces or rise towards the light, they produce sounds imperceptible to the human ear, but captured by the hydrophones as delicate crackles or rhythmic bursts. This natural phenomenon then becomes raw, fragile, and mysterious sound material.

Phototrophe invites an attentive listening to these micro-biological events: a submerged vegetal breath, a discreet pulsation of aquatic life. By unveiling this invisible activity through a sensory and contemplative approach, the work makes perceptible the interdependence between light, water, living matter, and sound.

The creation of the piece is based on a series of raw aquatic recordings, captured with sensitive hydrophones, followed by 360° video captures of algae in marshes with moving or stagnant waters. These videos were then processed through photogrammetry and converted into 3D point clouds, allowing for creative exploration and transformation. By creatively repurposing the 3D renders, the piece evokes wonder, inviting the viewer to rediscover this seemingly calm and silent landscape. This process transforms algae and marshes into unexpected visual forms, creating an immersive experience that reveals the hidden beauty of these environments and enriches the viewer's imagination. On the sound side, the raw recordings are used to create a percussive and minimalist music, developed from the signature sound of the living. Each bubble burst, each algae movement, becomes material for composing an organic musical landscape.