Three Pieces is a composition for plants, yangqin, bamboo robot and robotic chimes.

The electroacoustic music installation is designed as a collaboration between robots, traditional instruments, and living things, housed in Victorian Palm House of the Royal Botanic Garden in Edinburgh. A traditional Chinese dulcimer is played by a robot with many bamboo fingers while the surrounding foliage hides an ensemble of robotic chimes.

Despite being separate “individuals”, the robots communicate and perform together.

The robot performers are conducted by all the living things in the Palm House. The moisture content of the soil changes slowly as the plants absorb water, while on a much faster timescale, the temperature changes in the building as animals, including humans, move about. The installation detects this living presence in the Palm House and the music changes accordingly. The robots react to humans, but their mood alters with the plants.

Three Pieces balances exploring very experimental ideas with creating something with recognizable sensual musicality. 

Details at the Found Electronics site.