Listen With Incense Trees: Reinventing Multisensory Human-Plant Communication

“Incense” holds a three-fold meaning here. Firstly, it refers to agarwood and the incense trees (Aquilaria sinensis) from which it is produced. Secondly, it symbolizes Hong Kong, which in Chinese means the “fragrant harbour,” with “fragrant” referring to agarwood. Thirdly, it means time and inheritance: the incense product not only serves as a timekeeping tool but also embodies a continued culture that has lasted for thousands of years in China. There has been a significant reduction in the population of agarwood trees in Hong Kong due to illegal logging. My art-based research on incense trees explores the stories behind incense trees from an intriguing, egalitarian, and proactive perspective, which will enable the audience to perceive the symbiosis between incense trees and other species through the sounds we do not hear. I visually articulate sounds, my observations and reflections while conducting field recordings beside incense trees that have suffered damage or have been securely fenced off for protection. Through my drawings which also strengthen the narrative of the soundscape, viewers are enabled to perceive the “sound” of the incense trees endeavouring to re-establish connections with their surrounding environment. Meanwhile, since botanical research indicates that maintaining genetic diversity enhances incense trees' resilience to environmental changes and disease, I employ data sonification as an artistic modality derived from genetic data obtained from botanists, which aims to enable non-specialists to perceive the genetic diversity of incense trees through auditory perception. The human-plant communication I reshape will be presented at the Karorie Farm and Botanic Garden as a place-based exhibition, where they still have incense trees growing in this area. While imbuing this exhibition with public educational significance, it simultaneously lets viewers revisit the relationship between nature and humans.