Plant Cell Highway Traffic Jam

Plant Cell Highway Traffic Jam, Spencer Arias (2024)
for horn, tuba, and piano

The creation of this work would not be possible without the important contributions of Cecilia Rodriguez-Furlan. It is crucial that the science is highlighted, by vocalizing the scientist note aloud to the audience so that they can learn about the research the music was inspired by.

Scientist Note
Our research focuses on understanding how plant cells allocate their resources. The process behind resource allocation resembles cars navigating highways to reach their destinations. In cells, tiny lipid droplets act as cars and carry cargo—such as proteins and waste—through a network of highways, eventually delivering it to different compartments. Compartments resemble rooms in a house, where the walls are made of lipids. Different compartments have different functions, like storage, recycling, and degradation. Just as traffic on highways can experience jams due to roadblocks, detours, or accidents, disruptions in cellular traffic can cause "traffic jams" that lead to cargo delays or misdirection, which can impair cellular function. By studying these pathways, we aim to uncover how plant cells maintain smooth and regulated transport, shedding light on processes essential for growth, responses to a changing environment, and overall plant survival. Studying these fundamental processes will aid our ability to generate more efficient crops, showing enhanced productivity.
-Cecilia Rodriguez-Furlan, Ph.D Biotechnology, Assistant Professor of Plant Cellular and Molecular Biology, Plant Physiology at Washington State University

Program Note
Plant Cell Highway Traffic Jam is one piece out of a collection of new works in response to and collaboration with a group of plant scientists, in this case, Cecilia Rodriguez Furlan. Plant Cell Highway Traffic Jam was a metaphor used by Cecilia to represent the inner workings of a plant Cell.

In many ways talking with Cecilia I was brought back to the children’s science book and television series the Magic School Bus. The metaphors that Cecilia used reminded me as if I was on the magic school bus stuck in a traffic jam.  I wanted to focus primarily on adaptation of pulse, with each voice between Horn, Tuba, and the different hands on the piano acting frequently on different pulse streams with the occasional joining in lockstep to represent different components inside the cell trying to get to the various chambers. This pulse is meant to be quite driving, and pervasive such as being on a highway. The highly contrasting dynamics should be exaggerated, and the melodic moments should be a mix of intense, highly articulated, and at times a bit chaotic as well as a sincerity. It ends with a sense of resolution, and a sense of optimism that Cecelia makes an important discovery to better solve the issue of a plant cell highway traffic jam, and our journey through the insides of a plant cell brings us to solving the worlds plant issues.