Musician makes plants sing in 'Botanical Beats' concert. Here's why you should root for it

It seems only natural that Ivan Lee, a plant artist, would perform a "Botanical Beats" benefit concert for the Trail Conservancy at the W Hotel.

After all, the conservancy that now manages the 10-mile Butler Trail around Lady Bird Lake has recently launched its own strategy for embedding arts and culture into nature.

Lee's outdoor, ambient concert — interrupted by a violent storm on June 21 — employed electromagnetic impulses from wired-up tropical plants to guide tunes and rhythms that he manipulated on a sound board.

A planned second set of the hotel's "Summer Solstice" show was canceled because of the thunderstorm.

The first set, however, staged on the shady patio of the W's Trace eatery, was dreamy.

It's all part of the hotel's ongoing effort to engage local and visiting audiences through singular experiences.

"We're trying what’s new and next," says Blake Triplett, the hotel's director of sales and marketing. "And everybody loves plants. Now you can hear them."

What is a plant artist?

"You don’t actually hear the plants," artist Lee says with a smile, "but their impulses guide where the music goes."

Buenos Aires-born, Brooklyn-based Lee had been involved in music before he experimented with plants. He made the link to the W Hotel through his wife's Texas connections.

"This process translates the plants' electromagnetic frequencies, like a bridge" Lee says. "It makes us more aware of plants. Sometimes the birds pay attention and sing along."

(Follow Lee on Instagram at @ivi_lee.)

As an audience of perhaps 100 guests sipped cocktails and munched on snacks, the performance, which rose to a sonic climax just as nature drummed up its own tempest, felt supremely civilized, a blend of urban street life and the pulses of nature.

To tell the truth, my blissful state during this immersive performance was interrupted by the fantasy that the tropicals supplied by the Tillery Street Plant Co. would break out into a chorus from the corn-centric Broadway musical, "Shucked."

More arts and culture

The W Hotel's efforts to benefit the Trail Conservancy complement other fresh trail news.

First some background: When the nonprofit took over management of the Butler Trail in 2022, more than a few Austinites scratched their heads.

Little did they know the nonprofit — formerly known as the Trail Foundation — had already completed 15 projects along the 10-mile loop around the lake. Among the first such jobs in the mid-2000s supplied much-needed restrooms and water stops, as well as poison ivy control.

More: Austin newcomer gives $1.1 million to Trail Foundation

Currently, the Conservancy is actively at work on five projects, with 15 more planned for the future.

One of its current projects, the Rainey Street Trailhead, has recently been in the news, and not for good reasons. The bodies of two men who had previously been seen in the Rainey Street entertainment district were found in the lake near the trailhead.

Law enforcement officials report no foul play appear involved in either case. In April, the city of Austin and the conservancy agreed to fast-track lighting and other improvements. They plan to break ground by the end of the year and complete the project in 2024.

More: Austin City Council passes resolution for safety improvements on Rainey Street

Another of the current projects, launched in May at a reception in the Seaholm Intake building, focuses instead on arts and culture on the trail.

"The most immediate program people will see on the trail is through the continuation of our 'Music on the Trail' series," says Heidi Anderson, the nonprofit's director. "We began this program in 2020 to keep the sounds of Austin alive mid-pandemic and bring a bit of joy to the trail. This program continues today — and will continue — with two Austin musicians performing to trail users every Saturday morning in various locations around the Butler Trail."

More: Hill Country Conservancy's George Cofer works to save open spaces

Coming soon: Look for these trail culture projects

• A temporary storytelling element to hang on the safety fencing at the Rainey Street Project.

• A temporary artwork to celebrate the opening of the Holly Project, an "opportunity for East Austin artists to share stories about their community," Anderson says.

• An artist residency that will allow participants to add their visions "to work being done along the trail and adjacent communities," Anderson says.

• More "Trail Stories/Life on the Trail" will expand on an existing project to urge trail users to share their stories. "We hope that by continuing this feedback, we make the Trail a more welcoming place," Anderson says.

• Artists will help the trail's overall design team on all projects moving forward.

• The conservancy's partnership with the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center's Fortlandia exhibit will continue and a satellite fort on the Butler Trail will be added. That walk-through art runs October through January, "and this year will mark the fourth year we have hosted a fort," Anderson says.

More: Foundation gives $2.1M for Barton Springs Bathhouse

Conservancy's past projects along the trail

• North Shore Overlook (2006)

• Zilker Bluff Berms (2006)

• Lou Neff Point (2006)

• Miro Rivera Restroom (2007)

• Between the Bridges (2009)

• Pfluger Circle (2011)

• Johnson Creek Trailhead (2012)

• The Boardwalk (2014)

• Heron Creek Restrooms (2015)

• Longhorn Point (2016)

• Lakeshore Park (2016)

• Trail Bridge at Congress Avenue (2018)

• Brazos Bluff (2020)

• Festival Beach Restroom (2020)

• Holly Trail (2021)

More: Austin Answered: Why was Austin originally named Waterloo?

Conservancy's future projects along the trail

• Seaholm Intake Complex

• Zilker Trailhead

• Lamar Boardwalk (potential)

• Holly Trailhead and East Side Trail Play Area

• Potential bridge at Peace Point

• Pleasant Valley Lakeshore Restroom

• Lakeshore Park Deck and Overlook

More projects happening around the trail

These are future projects around the Butler Trail that will include the Trail Conservancy as a partner or advisor.

• Longhorn Dam Bridge and Boardwalk (in partnership)

• Former Statesman Site (in partnership with Endeavor development)

• One Lady Bird Site (in partnership with Related)

• Daugherty Arts Center (city of Austin)

• Mexican American Cultural Center Phase 2 (city of Austin)

• Interstate 35 Expansion (partnership with TxDOT)

• Project Connect (transit partnership)

• Waterloo Greenway (partnership with Waterloo Conservancy)

Michael Barnes writes about the people, places, culture and history of Austin. He can be reached at mbarnes@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Before 'Botanical Beats,' Trail Conservancy planned arts and culture