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.
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.
Where did tree listening come from?
The project was inspired by Alex’s Masters in Design Products at the Royal College of Art between 2005-2007.
Listening to the rustle of the wind through the leaves, or the creaking of branches, is a practice as old as human existence. However, listening to what happens inside a tree is a new development. 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.
Since then, the groundbreaking project has caught the attention of scientists, artists and members of the public from around the world.
Kew Gardens – Where art meets science
After coming up with the idea and making the first Tree Listening Devise Alex took his work to the Kew Royal Botanic Gardens in London, where he met Steven Jansen, a Kew scientist with a PhD in the movement and cavitation of water in the xylem tubes.
After testing his theory in the laboratory, Steven confirmed Alex’s suspicions were true. For the first time it became possible to hear what happens inside a tree.
An innovative installation
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 taking the recorded sounds the tree and playing it back thought headphones hanging from the branches of a London Plane tree.
During the two-week exhibition, Alex helped thousands of people to discover the secret sounds of trees as they passed though Kensington Gardens, and the tree listening installation was born.
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.