FLOWER

FLOWER, the interactive installation invites the audience to a little scenario where reality and virtuality come across. A virtual real flower grows in the real fake grass which swings in the wind of nowhere. Lie down and blow, your breath makes the flower sway, and your boundary between two spaces is torn. It is the discussion of the concept of de facto real-virtual and literal real-virtual. 

The Real Flower 互动装置邀请观众进入一个现实与虚拟相遇的小场景。 一朵虚实的花，生长在真正的假草中，随风飘荡。 躺下吹气，你的呼吸让花儿摇摆，两个空间之间的界限被撕裂了。它也是对事实上的虚与实以及字面上的虚与实的讨论。

/Concept and Background Research

Rooted in a deeply held creative vision, this project serves as a pivotal exploration of the interplay between human and machine interactions. Drawing inspiration from the endless extension of the computational world, where images and pop-ups take on a physicality yet remain separated by a screen of glass, this artwork challenges our understanding of the boundaries between real and virtual realms.
Influenced by Disney's "Wreck-It Ralph," an animated adventure that captivated audiences with its vivid portrayal of a virtual wonderland, this project seeks to establish a tangible connection between the virtual natural world and its external observers, free of any additional equipment. As emerging technologies blur the lines between our physical and digital experiences, this artwork emphasizes the importance of reflecting on our relationship with virtual objects, rather than solely focusing on controlling them.
Through a carefully crafted scene, this installation encourages audiences to question the boundary between virtual and real worlds, inviting them to ponder their connection and envision a Narnia-like realm beyond the screen. The virtual flower symbolizes a fragment of a digital world rooted in the essence of Mother Nature. To distinguish this piece from contemporary interactive games, a de-technical retro television serves as the primary component for displaying the virtual aspect, evoking a sense of nostalgia and prompting deeper contemplation of our evolving relationship with technology and the digital landscape.


/Technical Implementationion

Briefly, the project built a very easy understanding interaction applying 1 UNO R3 Controller Board, 1 Sound Sensor Module, and 1 HDMI to SCART Adaptor. The audience blew through the sound sensor and caused the swing of the flower in the monitor with the sound transformed from the airflow as input and the volume value as the output. The most important part was connecting the Arduino to the Processing to control the image by the values from the Arduino. Before starting, I thought about two options for the flower, drawn one, and filmed one. At first, I made the demo of a programmed imaged flower that could be controlled by the sound sensor. But it cannot perfectly communicate my idea of there is a physical world on the other side of the screen. For that reason, I decided to make my most of the efforts on filming a suitable beautiful real flower. After comparing different clips, I chose the night one with the best effect to make the audience focus on the flower. I cut it into a loop clip that loops from the beginning and a trigger clip that plays when the sensor detects the blowing sound. Unfortunately, the sound sensor was so unstable that the action could be triggered by any other sound surrounding it. So, I set a threshold and use a high difference as the trigger condition. As an installation aiming to communicate thoughts, in my opinion, the objects must be placed somewhere undisturbed and meaningful. As a result, I planned to set it in a purely white room and placed the television on a showcase so that the audience could see the screen and blow the flower easily. However, considering the real action of blowing a flower, I made it finally on the ground plus fake grass to make the scenario more conflicting. In this way, the audience had to get down to blow the flower which dramatically made the action more sacred. The next decision on where I should place the sensor was made rapidly. The sensor had to be placed on the screen rather than hanging in front of the TV or packing in a fake flower in order to give the audience the real feeling of blowing the virtual flower.



/Reference

1. Moore, Rich, John C. Reilly, Jack McBrayer, and Jane Lynch, Wreck-It Ralph (Walt Disney Animation Studios, Walt Disney Pictures, 2012)
2. Lewis, C. S., The Complete Chronicles of Narnia (HarperCollins Publishers Limited, 2006)
3. UKEssays. November 2018. Differences Between Virtual and Real Worlds. [online]. Available from: https://www.ukessays.com/essays/technology/differences-virtual-real-worlds-9859.php?vref=1 [accessed 20 December 2021].
4. ‘Movie Library Reverse Video Looping Example - Gallery’, Processing Foundation, 2019 [accessed 20 December 2021]
5. ‘Tutorial: Sensors Controlling Processing Video Position: ARTC 4330/5330’ [accessed 20 December 2021]