Talking with Plants (2021) is an interactive bionic artwork inspired by Arduino technology. The project aims to simulate a dialogue between humans and plants, fostering empathy towards these vital organisms. Plants play a crucial role in the ecosystem, accounting for approximately 80% of the Earth's biomass [1]. However, their responses are often slow, leading people to overlook their presence. This phenomenon, known as Plant Blindness, was coined by botanist Elisabeth Schussler and biologist James Wandress in the United States. It refers to the inability to notice or appreciate plants in one's environment, consequently neglecting their significance in the biosphere and human affairs.

Through this bionic plant installation, I intend to create a sense of consciousness in plants. I utilized fiber optics and a culture utensil to construct the bionic environment, and by attaching real plants from the forest to the roots of three separate single LEDs, I simulated the growth of plants. The interactive aspect of the installation involves a microphone or sound sensor that captures sound signals to determine the volume level. Different volume settings trigger corresponding colored LEDs to illuminate. Research has shown that plants possess a strong sensory capability, enabling them to differentiate between colors of optical fibers, ultraviolet rays, and high-intensity red light [2]. Drawing upon this concept, I opted to use LED lights as a feedback output, allowing people to observe the changes in the plants' condition in response to their sounds.

Teresa Chambel. 2016.  Interactive and Immersive Media Experiences.  In Proceedings of the 22nd Brazilian Symposium on Multimedia and the Web (Webmedia ’16).  Association for Computing Machinery, New York, NY, USA, 1.  DOI:https://doi-org.ocadu.idm.oclc.org/10.1145/2976796.2984746