Friends of Rye Town Park underwrite installation of interactive sculpture!

Whispers In the Grove

We are proud to underwrite the temporary installation of Whispers In the Grove, a multimedia, multi sensory sculpture in Rye Town Park in partnership with the Rye Arts Center and Arts Westchester. Come experience it for yourself!

Artist's Statement Did you know trees communicate through underground networks of roots and fungus? This woman-made forest of interconnected, neuron-like, steel forms rises to support bulbs, the leaf canopy. Each bulb is enveloped in found materials and illuminated, like fireflies who express through their flicker.

We are inspired by the phenomenon known as mycorrhiza, whereby trees and plants communicate and share resources through a symbiotic relationship between roots and fungus. Our budding understanding of this phenomenon makes humans and plants seem more similar. This network is reminiscent of human neurons, the internet, even our network of roads connecting cities. We all live in symbiosis.

To represent these ideas, we built steel trees topped by cell-like bulbs made of upcycled material from different cities around the USA. Internal lights pulse and shimmer between bulbs. The forest-like structure invites people to wander through or sit beneath it, and voice tubes invite people to whisper to each other from different parts of the sculpture. The poem and soundscape by Nicole Celeste Anderson draw together the concepts that inspired this piece so you too can hear Whispers in the Grove. We seek to pique the public’s interest in science and nature, as well as fostering a sense of interconnectedness of humans and plants, leading to responsible conservation efforts and sustainable practices.

Artists Kathy Creutzburg, Mirabai Kwan Yin, and Natalia Lesniak have been developing Whispers in the Grove for several years, exploring different ways of presenting and engaging with the community. The installation has traveled to many different locations around the New York metropolitan area, disseminating ecological understanding to diverse populations. With each installation the project has developed and has been accompanied by unique programming.