Light Resonances
Exploring Plant–Light Interactions through Augmented Data
Rasa Smite, Raitis Smits, in collaboration with Krista Dintere
Light Resonances visualizes and sonifies the subtle exchanges between plants and light. Using 3D spectral scanning and data sonification, six plants transform from natural RGB colors into spectral forms seen through non-human vision. Their sounds, shaped by photosynthetic data, reveal each plant’s unique resonance of light.
This augmented reality (AR) artwork visualizes and sonifies the subtle exchanges between plants and light, exploring how different light spectra are perceived by humans and non-humans. In collaboration with scientists from the Helmholtz Institute in Munich, the PlantEye LiDAR scanner was used to capture spectral analyses and 3D point cloud data from six plants, transforming them into dynamic, immersive data sculptures. These sculptures shift from natural colors (RGB) to spectral tones that reveal the red–blue light spectrum absorbed by plants for photosynthesis.
Visually, this transition reflects a movement from human perception toward a non-human spectral vision. Sonically, each plant generates its own evolving sound pattern—moving from natural-colored plants expressed through field recordings to synthetic rhythmic structures of spectral plants, created through the sonification of measured data such as leaf area, biomass, density, light absorption, and reflection. Together, these dynamic visual point clouds and sound patterns reveal each plant’s individual resonances of light, forming an interconnected spatial soundscape.
Credits:
Light Resonances is a part of the Resonances of Nature project, funded by the Franco-German Cultural Fund — a collaboration between the Goethe-Institut Riga, the French Institute in Latvia, and RIXC Center for New Media Culture.
AR programming: Patrick Borgeat
Scientific advice: Prof. Jörg-Peter Schnitzler / Helmholtz Zentrum München – Deutsches Forschungszentrum für Gesundheit und Umwelt
Data: Jana Barbro Winkler / Helmholtz Zentrum München
Research and Data: Light Resonance is a follow-up project based on initial data collected by Rasa Smite at Helmholtz Zentrum München in January 2025, during her research within the Plants_Intelligence (SNSF, 2022–2025) project at the Institute Art Gender Nature, HGK FHNW, in Basel, Switzerland.
Rasa Smite and Raitis Smits are artists, founders of RIXC Center for New Media Culture (Riga), curators of RIXC Art Science Festival and editors-in-chief of the peer-reviewed journal and book series Acoustic Space. Rasa is a professor at RTU Liepaja Academy, New Media Art Programme, Raitis is a professor at the Art Academy of Latvia, Visual Communication Department. From 2018-2021, they were lecturers at MIT Boston, and have lectured in Germany, Switzerland, USA, Canada and elsewhere. Together as an artist duo, they create visionary and exploratory digital artworks and immersive experiences, collaborating with scientists to address environmental and climate issues and using data visualisation, extended reality and artificial intelligence technologies.
Their immersive artworks have been nominated twice for the Purvītis Prize 2019 (Microworld Oscillations, Purva Radio, 2018) and the Purvītis Prize 2021 (Atmospheric Forest, VR, 2020), as well as nominated for – International Public Arts Award – Eurasian region 2021, awarded (Ars Electronica 1998, Falling Walls – Science Breakthrough 2021) and shown widely, including at the Venice Architecture Biennale, the Latvian National Museum of Art, the House of Electronic Art in Basel, the Ars Electronica Festival in Linz and other venues, exhibitions and festivals in Europe, USA, Canada and Asia.