Quantum Listening: The Secret Life of Plants Screening with Nonhuman Teachers

The Secret Life of Plants began as a book in the early 1970s and later became a cult film about plant intelligence and cognition, famously soundtracked by Stevie Wonder. This film inspired generations to view plants differently—not just as passive elements in the landscape, but as beings with complex inner lives. Today, half a century later, grade school science fairs continue to conduct experiments into the effects of music on bean sprouts, thanks to the lasting impact of this curious film on popular culture.

As part of MOCA's Quantum Listening series, Nonhuman Teachers will present on the subject of plant intelligence and cognition, revisiting some of the outdated science in the film and updating viewers with the latest research into the fascinating world of plant cognition. We’ll look at the notion of measuring plant intelligence against human standards and ask: are humans really more intelligent than plants? Are plants listening to us?

Nonhuman Teachers is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that takes a new approach to ecological storytelling, blending science, art, and the imagination to help deepen the relationship between humans and the natural world. Through multidisciplinary public programming, immersive botanical spaces, and new nature media, Nonhuman Teachers aims to ignite a sense of wonder about our rapidly changing Earth, not only to make us better citizens of this place but to help us imagine it differently.

This program is organized by Justen Leroy, Director of Public Programs and Community Outreach, with Kelsey Shell, Environmental and Sustainability Strategist, and Alitzah Oros, Public Programming Associate, the Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles.