Our Story
The Tree Listening Project was developed in 2007, inspired by Alex Metcalf’s love of trees. Since then, it has become a one-of-a-kind installation and has attracted global intrigue.
Where art meets science
Alex is from Cornwall in the United Kingdom and has always appreciated the natural world. Growing up in a beautiful coastal county, his early years were spent surrounded by water and trees.
In 1999 Alex started studying Industrial Design at Sheffield Hallam University. Alex then started his MA at the Royal College of Art in 2005. Whilst studying towards his Master’s in Product Design, the first seeds of The Tree Listening Project were sewn from his work which was heavily influenced by the natural world. This is where he came up with the idea to design a tree listening device which is shaped like an old-fashioned hearing trumpet.
Kew Gardens
Alex suspected these sounds were water moving through the xylem, but he needed an experts opinion to be sure. He took his work to the Kew Royal Botanic Gardens in London, where he met Steven Jansen, a Kew scientist with a PhD in the movment of water in the xylem tubes.
After testing his theory in the laboratory, Steven confirmed Alex’s suspicions were true. For the first it became possible to hear what happens inside a tree.
An innovative exhibition
Equipped with this new knowledge, Alex decided to take things a step further. He was captivated by his unique discovery and wanted to share it with other people.
When it was time to create his final RCA exhibition, Alex came up with a novel idea. He recorded the sounds the tree was making and linked them to headphones hanging from the branches of a tree.
During the two-week exhibition, Alex helped hundreds of people to discover the secret sounds of trees.
Global reach
Since then, Alex has been travelling the world, setting up tree listening installations as part of the Tree Listening Project. This includes pop-up workshops around the globe and a permanent exhibition at the Natural History Museum in LA.
Alex has made appearances on popular wildlife shows like Planet Earth, Countryfile and Autumn Watch. He also worked with Judi Dench on the BBC documentary Judi Dench: My Passion For Trees.
Today, Alex continues to explore new ways of engaging people with this extremely important subject. His passion for trees and wildlife remains, along with helping people to experience it in new ways.
Our mission
The Tree Listening Project’s mission is to educate and inspire. Through interactive exhibitions and workshops, we hope to teach more people about how trees work. By introducing users to unique, natural soundscapes, we bring the magic of tree listening to all ages. Whether you’re a scientist, an educator, a nature enthusiast, or simply curious, we welcome you to participate in our workshops. We hope it can inspire a greater interest in trees, conservation and the magnificence of nature.