Other Order

Other Order (2014)
Teri Rueb and Peter Del Tredici
 
"Other Order" is a sound walk set in the Bussey Brook Meadow of the Arnold Arboretum.  Where the formal collections of the Arboretum present visitors with carefully arranged and maintained specimens organized according to scientific systems of botanical classification, Bussey Brook Meadow is a less easily categorized “emergent” ecology – an urban wild that has evolved through informal processes of management that have left it open to colonization by spontaneous vegetation and the ever-shifting impacts of human interventions.  While both landscapes are the product of human design and intervention, Bussey Brook Meadow emerges as a sort of alter ego to the Arboretum proper - an Arboretum gone wild.
 
The sound walk presents a blend of recorded conversations and sounds drawn from and inspired by the landscape itself.  As visitors walk with mobile app in hand, their position is sensed by GPS and triggers playback of sounds at particular locations. The voice of the Arnold Arboretum’s beloved Senior Research Scientist, Peter Del Tredici, and guests who visit the meadow with him illuminate the biological, social and cultural significance of the meadow as an urban wild.
 
Visitors are encouraged to download the app in advance of their visit and wear headphones for optimal listening. Be mindful of bicyclists and other pedestrians on the trail who you may not hear approaching when wearing headphones.
Continued use of GPS running in the background can dramatically decrease battery life. Other Order is best experienced with iPhone 5 or later.