Kochi Biennale Foundation residency: An artist tells the tale of vanilla

Kochi: A sound installation by Kochi Biennale Foundation (KBF) residency artist Daniel Godínez Nivón explores ecological and historical displacement of vanilla orchid through an immersive audio-visual experience in Mattancherry.Titled Flower Serenade 2025, the work is on display at Devassy Jose and Sons on Bazaar Road. Installation centres on Vanilla planifolia, the only edible orchid species native to Mesoamerica. Through layered soundscapes and visuals of bluish-purple and white vanilla flowers, the piece recreates vibrational presence of stingless bees that naturally pollinate the plant in its original habitat.
Godínez refers specifically to Scaptotrigona mexicana, a native bee species from Mexico that pollinates vanilla orchids. Outside its endemic region, however, the plant depends on manual pollination. The artist highlights how colonial trade routes displaced vanilla from Mexico to Europe and later to tropical regions across the world, altering ecological relationships in the process.The installation also references Edmond Albius, the 12-year-old enslaved boy who discovered a hand-pollination technique in the 19th century, enabling large-scale cultivation. That method continues to be used globally.As part of his research, Godínez experimented at a vanilla farm in Kannur, transmitting a 220-hertz vibrational frequency —matching that of the Mexican stingless bee — to vines using speakers. The sound derived from field recordings in La Huasteca Veracruzana, Mexico, the bee's native habitat.The artist said his ongoing research examines how colonialism and displacement disrupted ecological bonds between plants, pollinators and cultural memory. The exhibition forms part of KBF's residency programme and is open to public.