Background
The Plant Sensorium is a project made by a team of three designers, spawned from a interest in digital experiences that connect us with the natural world. In creating The Plant Sensorium, we encountered three significant design challenges, which sparked an inspiring journey of creation and collaboration.
Read more about these challenges and how we ultimately solved them below 👇
Read more about these challenges and how we ultimately solved them below 👇
Challenge #1: Aligning Diverse Design Visions
Harmonizing creative visions was the first challenge we faced, as our team members hailed from diverse backgrounds, including interactive art, event production, academia and maker-design. As explorative designers, we are all very comfortable with the diverging phases of design: ideation, and exploration. However, reaching a consensus on a specific idea proved daunting. For every idea, 10 new ideas were formed, leading to constant shifts in the projects direction. Therefore, to move the project forwards, we conducted an ideation workshop, with the key objective of aligning the team towards a single idea. I used post-it notes to plan out the activities for the workshop, organizing the notes in rows describing the stage, the method, the purpose and the format for the workshop. By doing this, I was able to make sure that every step in the workshop pointed towards the same goal.
The Workshop - A brief summary
The workshop consisted of three stages: Introduction, Generation and Evaluation & Selection. Each stage was compiled of several exercises.
Introduction stage:
Generation Stage:
Evaluation & Selection:
After an inspiring 3-hour workshop, we aligned around the core concept of "Playtronica Garden": an interactive space where visitors could touch or play with different plants to create unique soundscapes. Later, we changed the name to The Plant Sensorium, but the central idea remained intact throughout the rest of the project.
The workshop consisted of three stages: Introduction, Generation and Evaluation & Selection. Each stage was compiled of several exercises.
Introduction stage:
- Icebreaker exercise, to set a positive tone for the workshop.
- Sharing personal expectations and goals for the project, to identify a common baseline for the project.
Generation Stage:
- Rapid Fire Ideation, to extract all ideas brought into the workshop.
- Research Data Points, to uncover inspiring data relating to climate change and ecology.
- Core Questions, to explore the impact of climate change and ecology.
- Thematic Brainstorm, to derive high-level themes from the research.
- Pause
- Confidence Vote, to gauge the workshop's sentiment.
- High-level brainstorming, to generate ideas based on research and themes.
- Ideation Sketching, to externalize and expand upon ideas.
Evaluation & Selection:
- Art Gallery & Dot Voting, to assess sentiment towards generated ideas.
- Pros & Cons analysis, to identify strengths and weaknesses of concepts.
- Refinement Sketches, to explore the possibilities of chosen ideas.
- Art Gallery & Dot Voting, to finalize the concept selection.
After an inspiring 3-hour workshop, we aligned around the core concept of "Playtronica Garden": an interactive space where visitors could touch or play with different plants to create unique soundscapes. Later, we changed the name to The Plant Sensorium, but the central idea remained intact throughout the rest of the project.
Prototyping
With our concept in place, we delved into the prototyping phase, which allowed us to solidify and refine the installation's design. Technical and practical constraints shaped our vision, leading us to pivot from a gate-like structure to a more engaging pavilion design. Through sketching and 3D-renders, we learned that an open pavilion would allow people to linger around the installation and have a more engaged experience with the plants around them. The prototyping phase played a crucial role in honing the installation's specifications and ensuring a cohesive understanding among the team.
With our concept in place, we delved into the prototyping phase, which allowed us to solidify and refine the installation's design. Technical and practical constraints shaped our vision, leading us to pivot from a gate-like structure to a more engaging pavilion design. Through sketching and 3D-renders, we learned that an open pavilion would allow people to linger around the installation and have a more engaged experience with the plants around them. The prototyping phase played a crucial role in honing the installation's specifications and ensuring a cohesive understanding among the team.
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Challenge #2: Building a Modular Product for Easy Assembly
The second key challenge related to the construction of the installation. To future-proof The Plant Sensorium, we focused on making the installation easy to assemble and disassemble on location. We invested considerable time in meticulous planning and designing modular components.
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Gathering components and assembling cables
We adopted a standardized cable system, using CAT cables connected with DIN adapters at each end to accmmodate the sensors. This setup allowed for easy sensor connection and disconnection. Moreover, we incorporated 12 connection ports to facilitate seamless scaling of the installation. |
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3D-Printing LED-Rings
For the sensor and LED-ring components, we 3D-printed a confined ring housing the LED-lights, sensor rod, and circuitry. By fixing the wires on a DIN-port, we ensured convenient detachment of LED-rings when needed. |
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Assembling and Testing the System
The central circuitry and controller were enclosed in a stackable plastic box adhering to the universal Eurocontainer standard. Additionally, we connected the central controller to a wireless tablet for remote adjustments of sensors, simplifying synchronization and calibration. |
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Building the wooden construction
Finally, the construction of the pavilion had to be easy to reassemble multiple times within the constrains of time and budget. A simple wooden frame was used, with clear markings indicating how to assemble each part. |
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Challenge #3: Adapting the Presentation for Different Contexts
The Plant Sensorium was originally build for Make Faire 2023, a yearly event hosted at Dokk1, the central library in Aarhus celebrating maker culture. After assembling the construction, connecting the plants and calibrating the sensors, the Plant Sensorium was ready for the premiere.
Displaying the Plant Sensorium at Dokk1 was an invaluable opportunity for us to gain insights in how visitors interacted with the installation.
The key insights we learned at Dokk1 was that:
We used these insights at the foundation for improving the Plant Sensorium for later events.
The key insights we learned at Dokk1 was that:
- People interacting with the Plant Sensorium was ultimately the best signifier for visitors that they could interact with the installation. Flashing LED-rings was the second best signifier.
- Displaying information screens in the front part of the installation inadvertently blocked visitors from interacting.
We used these insights at the foundation for improving the Plant Sensorium for later events.
As the Plant Sensorium initially were designed to be displayed indoor at a library in the hours during the day, we were suddenly faced with a big challenge, when we got invited to display the installation at the art festival SEEK: How do we adapt the plant installation to work for a festival context, outside and during the night for an extended weekend? Compared to Dokk1, we had a bunch of logistical challenges, associated with the new venue. The installation would be displayed in a much more open environment, we wouldn't be able to use our indoor plants, the speakers were not viable for outdoor use.
Undaunted by the challenge, we approached the art festival SEEK with optimism, fueled by the positive feedback from our display at Dokk1. Collaborating with festival organizers, we expanded the interaction space using extra cable meters and transformed heavy-duty pipes into striking plant pots. In response to the dynamic festival atmosphere, we introduced an exciting 'Party Mode' for the LED-lights, while also placing the installation near the festival entrance, thereby becoming an alluring gateway to the event.
Through the harmonization of diverse visions, thoughtful prototyping, and adaptability for various contexts, The Plant Sensorium stands as a testament to our commitment to exploring our relationship with nature through interactive digital experiences.
The Team
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Martin Mørk
Interaction Artist |
Marcus Due Jensen
Creative Coder |
Made in collaboration with:
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