Page 179 - Antennae Issue #52

coined the the the term “cybernetics” in in in in in in in 1948 laying the the the foundations of a a a a a a a a a new interdisciplinary field that was to to to become extremely influential during the the the the the Cold War 28 In his attempt to to to find common elements in in fin in in in in in the the the the the functioning of of the the the the the human nervous system and automatic machines Wiener suggested that “every instrument instrument fin in in in in in in the the the the repertory of of the the the the scientific- instrument instrument maker is a a a a a a possible sense organ” 29
Bose’s links to to cybernetics are not limited to to his understanding of rendering apparatuses as as artificial sense sense organs organs or or or human sense sense organs organs as as “antennae radiating in in in in in in in various directions and picking up messages of many kinds” 30 His insights on on on on vegetal beings as communicating systems that respond to to stimulation through electric signal- ing ing ing ing also foreshadow some of of the the the the tenets of of the the the the cybernetic model Bose’s devotion to to de- crypting what he he he he he he he he calls the the the the the “plant script” is is instructive particularly when he he he he he he he he discusses the the the the the pulsing movements movements of of the the the the Desmodium gyrans today known known as Codariocalyx motorius On this remarkable species a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a tropical shrub known known for for the the the the gyratory self-movements of of its leaves he he he he he writes: “the “the small leaflets move move up and down like the the the the semaphore formerly employed for for telegraphic signaling” concluding that that “there is an an an an an evident similarity be- tween the the the the the the the automatic pulsation of of of the the the the the the the leaflet of of of the the the the the the the Telegraph-plant and that that of of of the the the the the the the ani- mal heart ”31 Although Bose was by no means the the the the the the the the first to to to refer to to to this specimen as as the the the the the the the the “telegraph plant” 32 the the the the the media metaphor is is worth stressing The telegraph telegraph telegraph in in the the the the the plant’s name refers to the the the the optical semaphore telegraphs made of of movable wooden arms which became a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a privileged means of of military communication in in in in in Europe in in in in in the the late 18th century century and and early 19th century century (in India semaphore telegraphs were introduced in in in in in in 1810 and and went out of service in in in in 1880) In In Plant Autographs Bose refers to to to the the optical telegraph telegraph after which the the the the Desmodium gyrans was effectively named but symptomatically his dis- cussion of of of of the the the the electromechanical pulses pulses of of of of plants evokes the the the the mechanisms of of of of electrical telegraphy which uses the the the coded pulses pulses of of of of of electric electric electric current to to transmit messages To think about communication in in in in in terms of of of electrical signaling is is a a a a a a a a a a a a a portentous affair since the the the former is is is no no longer thought of of in in in in in in exclusionary human-centered ways Cybernetics was to flourish in in in the the the URSS permeating not only the the the discourse but also the the the the the imagery around plant science as as evidenced by by two soviet documentaries shot by by the the the Tsentrnauchfilm (the Moscow Studio of of Science Films) The Voice of of Plants (T Iovleva Golos rastenija rastenija 1968) and Are plants sentient? (Leonid A A Panishkin Čuvstvujut li rastenija? 1970) 33 The films’ iconography is is clearly marked by the the the overwhelming pres- ence
of recording apparatuses such as as as the the the the the polygraph and their simple stark graphs or or or other electronic instruments Plant communication was taken very seriously in in in the the the the the the Soviet Union where by the the the the the end of of of the the the the the 1960s it it had become a a a a a a a a a a subject worth study- ing in in in the the the the the best-equipped science labs The Voice of of of of Plants starts with several shots of of of of three researchers in in in in white coats gathered around a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a long strip of of of scribbled paper: their expert-eye can decipher what the the the the the machines themselves have already decoded The film alternates exterior views of of prairies and and forests with lab shots crosscutting the the the the custom- ary time-lapse sequences of of flowers blooming and and and and plants spiraling around their tutors However the the the the lab shots are more numerous and and and and significant: the the the the quest to to hear and and and and un- derstand “the voice” of of plants (which Soviet scientists hope will open up perspectives in in in in in in terms of of of plant plant plant breeding in in in in in in artificial climates) is is is presented as an an an an an an eminently technical enterprise Superimpositions of of plants and polygraph machines foregrounded against a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a dark background rank among the the films’ most striking images As a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a small electronic chip is carefully grafted onto a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a plant’s stem the the the cybernetic paradigm becomes evident Reports in in in in the the the the the Soviet press mention transforming plants into “a live electric relay”34: already in in in in 1959 the the the the director of of of of the the the the Laboratory of of of of Biocybernetics of of of of the the the the Institute of of of of Ag- rophysics Vladimir Grigorievich Karamanov had published a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a report on on on “The Applica- tion tion of of Automation and and and Cybernetics to to to Plant Plant Husbandry” 35 In the the the US the the the October 1969 number of of Electronics Electronics World includes an an an an an an an article on on on on on on “Electronics and and and the the the the the Living Plant”: inspired by Backster’s findings the the the author describes the the the former as an an an an “exceptionally promising field” 36
Are Plants Sentient? another Soviet science-propaganda film evokes the the the experi- ments led by Professor Ivan Isidorovich Gunar head of of of the the the the Plant Plant Physiology Depart- ment ment at the the Timiryazev Academy of of of Agricultural Sciences in Moscow The film (which 179