EN

Future Bonsai

(Group Work Exhibition)
2023.06

Bonsai: I exist.
We are talking about the ‘Plants’ Rights’.

Will people start to think about the rights of plants as living organisms after plants become scarce? With the development of society, the presence of large number of mechanized products in human society is obviously higher than that of natural vegetation. We wanted to try to raise the attention to the survival of bonsai through some installations that can attract people's attention. We use plant electrical signals to control inflatable devices and lighting devices to amplify the presence of plants.




Click this picture to the  linktree web
Background

Bonsai are different from ordinary plants and are commercialized plants. Although "plants are alive" is taught as common sense. People will love flowers and nature based on this. However, as the plants that are most integrated into human life, potted plants have become functional items and decorations. Although they have a complete life, they have become human decorations or air fresheners.
At present, human beings still ignore the life attributes of potted plants.



If

The scarcity of plants will increase due to future environmental degradation or biological survival problems brought about by climate change. Potted plants will become more precious as commercialized plants, and human beings will think more about the life rights of commercialized creatures.


Purpose


With the development of society, the presence of large number of mechanized products in human society is obviously higher than that of natural vegetation. We wanted to try to raise the attention to the survival of bonsai through some mechanical installations that can attract people's attention.


Processing

We used the Arduino to monitor the changes in the electrical signal of the plant and control the blowing and sucking of the air pump by the changes in the electrical signal. We wanted to use the operation of the inflatable device as an analogy to the breathing of the plant, and the change in lighting to attach to the operation of the inflatable device. In this process the viewer is able to be drawn to the attention and to satisfy the plant's sense of presence. And when a person touches the plant, the electrical signals of the plant change and both the inflator and the lights change.


We decided to try silicone for the soft robot when we made the inflatable device. We experimented with silicone and inflatables to create the effect of flowers blooming, leaf hearts and vines growing. This is what I have been concentrating on recently. I change the structure and shape of it. The silicone material helped us to restore a degree of biotactility and we ended up with incomplete soft robots. These are my experimental processes.






Concept

Coexistence of plants and machines. Plants rely on mechanical devices to express their sense of existence, and mechanical devices rely on plants to survive and function as devices. These apparatus changes persisted as long as the plant was alive (the electrical signals in the leaves would always change). When the plant dies one day, the mechanical device will no longer change.





Designer



︎ ︎ ︎ ︎








︎



ycai.artwork@gmail.com
1836466034@qq.com

+86 15824502177
+44 7536232598