Understory is an interactive installation that invites La Selva visitors to experience field notes captured during a 24-hour ethogram study of a Gavilán tree (Pentaclethra macroloba).**

When visitors approach Understory, they can interact with dangling ‘flower pods,’ which contain a connected speaker and a unique recording assigned to a moment of the 24-hour study (e.g. 4:13am). The brightness of flower pods fade in sync with an ambient call, attracting visitors to hear the stories of the Gavilán.  

The recordings use a mix of ambient and written field notes, observing different parts of the tree (canopy, trunk, root system) and interactions (e.g. leaf opening and closing). Visitors are transported inside, below, on top of the Gavilán tree, exploring the worlds contained within one living thing. 

The installation seeks to show how the Gavilan tree’s ecosystem is a microcosm of the greater La Selva ecosystem, and to build an interface between humans and trees, and humans and La Selva. The team hopes that by listening closely visitors feel the vitality of nature and remember their role in regenerating the planet’s ecosystems.

**Pentaclethra macroloba is one of the most pervasive tree species in the rainforest. Colloquially referred to as the “Gavilán” tree, the species has a unique light sensitivity as its leaves open and close with sunrise and sunset.