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www.oakvillebeaver.com The Oakville Beaver, Friday October 24, 2008 - 31 A unique way to connect with nature By Ryan Bolton SPECIAL TO THE BEAVER NATURE'S SYMPHONY: British inventor Alex Metcalf has found a way to listen to trees using a special device. He will return to feature the creation in an installation at Oakville Galleries in the spring. He carefully walks around the tree looking for a flat, smooth section of the bark. He puts his headphones on, which are plugged into his tree listening device, which resembles an antiquated ship captain's eyeglass -- but for the ear. He places the silver cone against the tree and patiently listens. Alex Metcalf, 28, is a tree listener. A product designer from Britain, Metcalf was recently at Oakville Galleries to show employees how the device works and its significance. Oakville Galleries was impressed and has invited Metcalf back next spring to do a full installation for the public. Growing up in the countryside of England, Metcalf said he was always amazed by trees and their "magnificent" structure. It was two and a half years ago, however, while he was studying design at the Royal College of Art, that Metcalf wanted to move away from his original product ideas of creating lights, teapots and the like. During a discussion with some friends, he queried, "Wouldn't it be interesting to listen to trees?" That's all it took, as he understood water travelled inside of a tree and imagined it must make a sound. He was right. The ear trumpet magnifies sound by about 400 times, and when placed against any tree, it sounds like a combination of a cat purring and a heartbeat, with intermittent clicks. What you are hearing, Metcalf explains, is the water being pulled up from the roots to the leaves through what are called xylem tubes. The clicking sound is produced when the water passes through the cells and due to tension with oxygen, they break, making a pop. The muffled purring is the general vibrations of the tree -- the wind flowing through the branches. Showing the tree listening device around the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and recently at the Canadian Urban Forest Conference in Edmonton, Metcalf enjoys watching people's reactions when they lis- ten to the tree's lifeblood. "It's been great travelling around and getting people's reactions and people have been really quite emotional about it," he said in a subtle British accent. "You get a lot of people appreciating trees or just looking at trees in a different way." As education has always been an undertone to his work -- both his parents were lecturers -- Metcalf doesn't want to preach about his findings, he just wants individuals to listen for themselves. His main hope with the project is to have people look at trees in a different light than simple, tall structures that provide shade. He wants to exemplify the life inside a tree, literally. "My aim with the project is to engage and get people to look at trees in a different way and it seems to be working," he said. "We appreciate the rustling of leaves in autumn, but it's just this element that goes that much deeper inside." He has seen countless reactions from children thinking they are listening to motorcycles to 17 year olds appreciating the connection to nature. Metcalf still remembers when the device brought a woman to tears. During his first installation in Kensington Gardens in London, an older woman listened to the tree and became very emotional as to what she was hearing. "It just completely changed her idea of what trees are and she got really emotional. She was crying, basically," said Metcalf. "She was just blown away about how this has just changed her life." As far as inspiration is concerned, he notes his upbringing in the countryside, and as an artist, RON KUZYK / has made him want to break down OAKVILLE BEAVER his own boundaries -- not by studying other's work, but by trailblazing. "I have never looked at an artist and thought, `Wow, I would like to do something along those lines.' I have always drawn my influences from something else," said Metcalf. Metcalf added that he is anticipating his visit to Oakville in the spring. "(Oakville is) a very beautiful, tranquil, picturesque place that I can relate to because it has really similar climate and ecosystems in terms of this style of trees and Emmitt & Pat Smith planting to Britain," he said. "I feel much more at home here than I do in other parts of Canada." For information about the tree ORPORATE EVENTS EDUCATIONAL WORKSHOPS ARTIST The CAMPS FOR KIDS LIVE CUISINE RESTAURANT LIVE P listening device, visit www.alexmetcalf.co.uk. EDUCATIONAL WORKSHOPS ARTISTS IN RESIDENCY CO VE CUISINE RESTAURANT LIVE PERFORMANCES CORPOR ARTISTS IN RESIDENCY COMMU COURSES CAMPS FOR K MISSISSAUGA PERFORMANCES CORPORATE EVENTS EDUCATIONAL W Living Arts Centre Explore WOMEN FULLY CLOTHED BERTIN STABLES Fall and Winter Lessons and Christmas Camps Now Booking · Weekday Lessons 4/$107 or $35/Lesson · Saturday at Farm 10am-3pm $40 (Children 5-12 yrs.) SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2008 8 PM Hammerson Hall $25 & up www.bertinstables.com (905) 827-4678www.bertinstables.com November 17 at 8 p.m. The Studio at Hamilton Place Tickets available at the Copps Coliseum Box Office, Ticketmaster.ca or call 905.527.7666 54-40 An Evening with PRINT MEDIA SPONSOR www.livingartscentre.ca TEL: 905.306.6000 OR 1.888.805.8888 LIVE Cuisine Restaurant will be open for Pre-theatre Dinner Buffet & Post-Show Dessert on selected performance evenings. 4141 LIVING ARTS DRIVE, MISSISSAUGA ON L5B 4B8 HWYS 403 & 10, WEST OF SQUARE ONE FREE UNDERGROUND PARKING