Ruben Olguin

Ruben Olguin is a New Mexico-based artist working in ceramics, adobe, sound, video, and electronic media. His work draws from his mixed Pueblo and Spanish heritage. He uses traditional/hand processes for sculpture and incorporates electronic elements. “My practice focuses on spending as much time in the desert as in the computer lab," he says. His work has exhibited internationally, showing in Germany, Miami, Santa Fe and Taos. Olguin completed an MFA in studio arts from The University of New Mexico in 2015, and a BA in Cinematic Arts from The University of New Mexico in 2012.

About the series

Humans have been cultivating plants for millennia, wherever we plant seeds our presence is marked on the earth and noise environment. We plow fields and make noise wherever we travel, the plants we grow are affected by the selection of seeds we keep, the water and nutrients we provide, and the noise we produce.

Only until recently have scientists understood the effects of sound on plant growth. These effects have been long understood by indigenous cultures and farmers, that our cultivated plants grow better when we sing and talk to them. This body of work looks at the effects of human caused sound on the growth of plants. From Corn being sung to by indigenous farmers to the humming of well motors, the ecosystem is adapting to our noise. The plants are listening. Each vessel is 3D printed in a plant based plastic filament infused with wood. The wood filament 3D prints are resonators which hold the sound of specific frequencies. The frequency of each vessel is isolated to the optimal sound to stimulate the plant growth of specific plants. To hear what the plant hears, put the bottom hole of the vessel near your ear and listen for the presence of Anthropogenic Frequency.