The Speaking Tree is an AR research-creation project developed during the SENSUS workshop at York University through SLOlab. Created in collaboration with Zhino Yousefi, the project reimagines the Persian mythological Waq-Waq tree through LiDAR scanning, MQTT, live ecological sensor data, sound and augmented reality.
this project began as an exploration of how ancient myth, ecological data and augmented reality can come together to create a new form of site-responsive storytelling.
The project draws from the Persian mythological Waq-Waq tree, a speaking tree historically depicted with human and animal heads emerging from its branches. In our interpretation, the tree is not recreated literally. Instead, it becomes a symbolic structure for thinking about consciousness, ecological warning and more-than-human communication.
Through LiDAR scanning, I captured trees and forest environments near York University. These scans became the basis for an augmented reality experience where the tree appears as a fragmented, living nervous system: roots, branches, point clouds, voices and environmental signals merge into one responsive organism.
LiDAR Scanning - York University
LiDAR Scanning - York University
Lidar Scan in CloudCompare
pointclouds in CloudCompare
Extracting the human presence captured during scanning
extracting the path captured during scanning
Workshop Context
I was grateful to be part of the SENSUS workshop, hosted through SLOlab at York University. The workshop introduced us to augmented reality, ecological sensing, LiDAR scanning and data visceralization as tools for creating site-responsive artworks.
A special thank you to Jane Tingley for the opportunity to participate in the workshop and for creating such a generous space for experimentation and learning. During the week, we worked with MQTT and live ecological sensor data from active environmental sensors, including wind, light, soil and humidity. These signals became creative material for imagining how a tree might “speak” through environmental change.
The project was selected for further development toward RIXC Festival, and we will continue developing it until August for the next presentation.
Workshop link: https://slolab.ca/sensus-art-app-workshop/
RIXC Festival : https://rixc.org/en/festival/
The Waq-Waq tree has appeared across Persian, Arabic, Japanese and European visual traditions, often as a tree bearing human or animal heads. In our research, these heads became less about literal figures and more about fragmented consciousness: doubt, memory, wisdom, desire and fear.
Instead of designing a tree with clear faces, we are exploring how human and nonhuman presences can emerge subtly through point clouds, branches, sound and motion. The tree becomes an existential witness, not an all-knowing narrator, but a living system that whispers contradictory signals.
Conceptual Foundation
The project is built around three conceptual tensions:
Organism vs. Data
How can a tree be understood not only as a biological organism, but also as a living system that produces, receives and translates signals?
How can a tree be understood not only as a biological organism, but also as a living system that produces, receives and translates signals?
Myth vs. Reality
How can an ancient myth become a contemporary framework for ecological sensing, rather than simply a story from the past?
How can an ancient myth become a contemporary framework for ecological sensing, rather than simply a story from the past?
Ancient vs. Digital
How can augmented reality extend myth into a new digital form while still preserving its symbolic and emotional force?
How can augmented reality extend myth into a new digital form while still preserving its symbolic and emotional force?
In the original Waq-Waq myth, the speaking tree acts as a prophetic figure, warning travellers about mortality, fate and the consequences of greed. In this project, prophecy is reimagined as ecological warning. The tree does not only speak about individual fate; it speaks about shared environmental conditions, climate stress, extraction, damaged soil, unstable weather and the consequences of treating nature as passive background.
Current Status
The Speaking Tree was selected for further development toward RIXC Festival. The project will continue to be developed until August, with a focus on refining the AR experience, sound system, environmental data mappings and visual language.
Credits
roject
WakWak Tree / The Speaking Tree: A Contemporary Myth of Consciousness
WakWak Tree / The Speaking Tree: A Contemporary Myth of Consciousness
Created by
Golnoush Mirsalari and Zhino Yousefi
Golnoush Mirsalari and Zhino Yousefi
Developed during
SENSUS Workshop, SLOlab, York University, May 2026
SENSUS Workshop, SLOlab, York University, May 2026
Workshop led by
Jane Tingley
Jane Tingley
With artists
Rasa Smite and Raitis Smits
Rasa Smite and Raitis Smits
Selected for
Further development toward RIXC Festival
Further development toward RIXC Festival
Tools / Methods
Augmented Reality, LiDAR scanning, MQTT, ecological sensor data, Unity, sound design, point clouds, research-creation
Augmented Reality, LiDAR scanning, MQTT, ecological sensor data, Unity, sound design, point clouds, research-creation
