Hidden Life Radio is an ongoing public art project from artist Skooby Laposky that aims to increase the general awareness of trees and their importance to the future of humanity through long-form biodata sonification and deep listening practices. The idea for Hidden Life Radio came about after having conversations with residents in various cities who were concerned about the disappearance of old-growth trees, the lack of proper tree canopies and the need for better tree stewardship overall. Hidden Life Radio’s “broadcast” is a musical composition unfolding in real-time and running twenty-four hours a day from leaf out in early summer until leaf drop in late autumn. Weather, climate and other environmental conditions directly affect how the composition is shaped. These generative musical compositions function as a constant for contemplative practice, allowing listeners to tune in at any moment and hear the trees’ “hidden life” over an extended period of time.  

The first broadcast location of Hidden Life Radio was Cambridge, Massachusetts in 2021. The project was awarded the New York Foundation for the Arts Tomorrowland Projects Foundation Award in 2022 and broadcast in 2023 from New York’s Hudson Valley. Hidden Life Radio is currently broadcasting from Cape Cod for the month of May.