In a surprising intersection between art, science and nature, the Argentine artist Hilario “Hila” Gramaglia transformed the most loved tradition of his country into a multisensory experience. For the first time, the electrical impulses of the Mate herb were translated into music, giving voice to a plant symbol of Latin America.

The project is based on a methodology called biosonification. Through biosensors applied to leaves and roots, the bioelectricity changes of the plant are translated into midi signals, transforming into melodies perceivable by the human ear. As Hila explains, these are not real sounds of the plant, but a “sound translation” of its vital energy. In this way, what normally vibrates under 20 Hz, outside our auditory field, finally becomes listened to.

The idea was not born by chance. After a successful career as a commercial music DJ, Hila felt the need to return to its roots and to reconnect with nature. From that intuition, together with a group of engineers, he developed his first instrument prototype in 2021 capable of making plants “play”. Today it is considered a real Latin American ambassador of this technology.

Mate grass as a cultural symbol

The choice to give voice to the mate grass is not accidental: it is a drink that millions of people consume every day, full of social and cultural meaning. In collaboration with the Yerba Nica brand, Hila recorded three different stadiums of the plant – from a young man to a short period of five years – thus offering different melodies depending on the vitality of the plant. Each pack of the brand will contain a QR code that will allow fans to listen to these vibrations during the Mate ritual.

According to Hila, each plant is as unique as a digital imprint. The variations of light, climate, photosynthesis and even human presence modify electrical flow, making each song unrepeatable. In his YouTube channel, the artist also proposes recordings of other plant species, demonstrating how nature is an inexhaustible source of harmony.

The project is not only a technological curiosity, but an invitation to reconnect with nature. Hila recalls that plants are sensitive living beings and that living in contact with them improves well -being and accelerates healing. His mission is clear: to combine nature and technology to learn to see – and to listen – the plant world with new ears.

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