Dancing Flower Pots to Visualize the Bond of a Friendship. A New Kind of Virtual Presence.
INDUSTRY: Social, Interaction Design
SKILLS: Rapid Prototyping, User Experience
PRESS: TV Interview (2008)
Live demo and interview on TV "Erev Hadash" ('New Evening' show) with Michal Rinott, 2008 (Hebrew)
DESIGN:
Each member in a group keeps one flower pot. The unique pots are capable of moving on a scale between "stand up" posture to a "dropped" posture. All pots show the exact posture at any given moment (connected with WIFI).
When one flower is watered, the pots will rise for a bit. If all members water their plants, the pots will be happy and dance. When one of the flowers is neglected, the pots will never reach the full "stand up" posture.
Each member in a group keeps one flower pot. The unique pots are capable of moving on a scale between "stand up" posture to a "dropped" posture. All pots show the exact posture at any given moment (connected with WIFI).
When one flower is watered, the pots will rise for a bit. If all members water their plants, the pots will be happy and dance. When one of the flowers is neglected, the pots will never reach the full "stand up" posture.
The flower pots actually visualize the interpersonal relationships within a group of distant friends. It gives the sense of being close, even when you don't speak to your friends. That feeling of virtual presence can lead to intimacy, a rare material in the digital era.
The Pots Dance When All Friends Water Their Plants. It Means That Someone Has Thought of You Today.
RESEARCH:
This project encourages the group members to take an action in favor of the group. That very action, together with its consequence, provides the members with a feeling of bondage, the presence of the group, even if it is physically scattered.
When you don't know who didn't water their plant, who would you call first? What would you feel: sadness for being neglected or that your friend might be in need?
How Will You Feel if the Flower Pot Isn't Dancing After You Did Your Part?
PRESS:
"Sculpturing with technology" by Ofri Ilani at Mouse (Hebrew)
News of Holon Institute of Technology website (Hebrew)
"Sculpturing with technology" by Ofri Ilani at Mouse (Hebrew)
News of Holon Institute of Technology website (Hebrew)
IDHO 2008 exhibit video
basic mechanism of the tech aspect.
the next move was that when water pass through the plant, it would close the power circuit.
the next move was that when water pass through the plant, it would close the power circuit.
