Self-Help for Indoor Plants

While searching for images, I was intrigued by a record sleeve : against a white background, seated in a circle, a quintet of musicians dressed in black play for a large fern. There's no name of artist, orchestra or band, just the title Music For Your Plants, written in green capitals in serif typography.

I realized that there were several records of this kind, dating from the 1970s.

What was this music for plants ?

I was curious to discover the sounds behind these strange covers. On the basis of what research had they been composed ? I imagined unknown harmonies that would speak only to plants, and not necessarily appear melodic to a human ear. Perhaps the tempo would be very slow, in keeping with the stereotype that plants have all the time in the world ? Perhaps it would synchronize with the speed at which water spreads through stems and leaves ? Perhaps the structure would adopt a fractal logic, with sequences repeated identically at different scales ? Perhaps it would unfold in an infinite number of sequences, like a network of roots ? Perhaps there are melodic twists and turns between roots and mycelium ? Perhaps a link with the environment, the wind, the vibrations of sunlight ? Variations over a 24-hour sequence, to the rhythm of day and night ? Or even 365 days ? Or over centuries ?

And yet, as I listened to these records, I became more and more perplexed.

Each one of them brought a new disappointment. This was not at all what I had imagined.

The performance Self-Help for Indoor Plants tells the story of this disappointment.