Plan A: Plant Planet
Challenging the hirerchy between plants and human.
Team-mates
Jumleena Bhagawati, Charlie Hou, Devin Wang
Date
20/04/23 - 27/04/23
Welcome to week 7 of our Project Plan A: Plant planet
In our recent blog post, I provided an in-depth exploration of the development of our final prototypes. In this blog we venture into the next phase, delving into the intricate stages of further refinement and building
- A Botanist's take on our Project -
After last week's presentation, we've delved deeper into our narrative, exploring additional intricacies. We had the privilege of engaging in a virtual conversation with Nell Jones, the Head of Plant Collection at Chelsea Medicinal Gardens. During our discussion, we shared the details of our story, and her keen interest in our design delighted us beyond measure.
She provided us with numerous insights, and even though she felt our notion of plants never existing on Earth was a little far-fetched, she did agree that many species that we know of now might truly cease to exist in the future. She was truly excited about the story we shared and the message it carried, and with her encouragement, we felt more confident about our project. She also offered us great insights and provided recommendations for the plants that we could use for the project. The talk was truly enlightening for us and we felt grateful to Chealse Physic Garden for allowing us to have such an opportunity. Because of this, we gained a clearer understanding of the nuances of such a design experiment we were about to carry forward.
- Finalize the prototypes -
The window:
Following last week's discussion, we decided to opt for silver for the 3D printing.
Additionally, based on the sketches, we intend to use a photographic lightbox as the container for storing plants. We plan to use foam boards to create a futuristic metallic false wall. Devin took the lead in building this prototype. More information regarding the steps are available on his website. link
Technology used:
A sheet of glass that has a smart film attached to it. This smart film can turn transparent and opaque when a certain voltage is passed through it. This is due to PDLC or ‘Polymer-Dispersed Liquid Crystals’ which can be applied as a self-adhesive plastic film onto existing glass, or engineered into glass end-products such as smart (switchable) windows, smart displays, and consumer electronics.
Benefits of using the technology:
Reduction of the building-wide carbon footprint thanks to dynamic solar control, which reduces the demands on climate control systems all year round, thus contributing to the goals of the European Climate Law.
Enhanced security (since the glass is shatter-proof thanks to the internal plastic lamination). As such it protects the plants from immediate risk or harm.
Privacy of the plants (thanks to the scattering of light, essentially hiding whatever is behind the smart glass)
Glare reduction (again thanks to the scattering effect)
Reduced color fading of interior furnishings and artworks, thanks to the rejection of UV
Creative marketing, since when the PDLC smart glass is off, the scattering effect creates a screen upon which you can project images.
Selecting and placing the plants:
We promptly visited a nearby plant store and procured suitable plants. The plants were chosen based on their adaptability and oxygen producing producing nature (high or low). We ensured that they were healthy and had a vibrant appearance. We meticulously arranged the plants that we collected and formulated an order to place them inside the lightbox to create an aesthetically pleasing terrarium.
It was important for me that the plants were arranged in a comfortable fashion not over crowding one another and at the same time, ensure that the arrangement was captivating enough to draw in visitors for observation.
Creating a shrine for the vase.
When it comes to the design of the shattered vase, we heeded the advice of Greg and Wan from the previous week. Incorporating inspiration from Asgard: Realm of the Gods, we worked on painting and embellishing the broken vase to reduce monotony and make it less conspicuous. I particularly worked on the shrine and Charlie and Devin helped me elevate the aesthetics of the shrine, featuring melted candles encircling the vase atop a raised base, reminiscent of the sacred ambiance in Asgard.
The final result of the last flower shrine:
Installing the connections to the heart.
As for the design of the plant suit: Charlie and Devin tried inserting different sizes and thicknesses of tubing on our heart model and connecting them to the mask and other different places. Charlie has a very good idea of arranging pipes, and all Devin has to do is help him arrange the pipes. With Charlie taking the lead on this one, I helped by monitoring the visual aesthetics and providing feedback on the arrangement of the connections with the central piece: the heart.
--Reflection--
Our design is nearing completion. Over the week, we did a lot of things to refine what we had previously designed. Connecting all the dots and making the story easily understandable and easily believable was my priority. The following week we want to work on taking professional pictures to document our final results and touch up the design to make the products look visually appealing for the exhibition.
- Feedback -
In our pre-feedback discussion, we detailed the final narrative, outlining the distinct roles of each item within our envisioned scenario. While the response to the concepts was predominantly positive, there were observations about the extensive world and scenario-building. Recommendations underscored the importance of establishing a more explicit connection between the diegetic prototypes to enhance communication. Valuable advice was also given for storytelling, suggesting the creation of a concise animation or movie to add a dynamic visual element to our concept presentation.
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