Data Terrarium
from Mt. Wilson
Speculative Design: Communicating Through the Synergy of Wind and Human Intention (2024)
Arduino, Motors, Gyro Sensors, Touch Designer
If a strawberry is cut into a box shape and brought back, is it no longer a strawberry?
If I take moss from its original place and plant it in a pot in my room, does it become something else?
Exploring the movement and transformation of data, I designed the Mt. Wilson Welcome Center, questioning how data shifts when relocated and reinterpreted. We constantly generate data within the time and space we inhabit. If I collect data from a specific moment in a particular place and "plant" it in a data terrarium, does it deteriorate or grow?
Based on my experience, I focused on the most striking data from Mt. Wilson—the movement of the wind. The wind sound we hear and feel in a forest is, in essence, the result of air movement creating friction against leaves and branches. I captured the energy generated by a specific tree community at that moment and transported it back home. There, I fed this data into a data terrarium designed to mimic the movement of the forest. This triggered a sequence of interactions: a motor activated, a symbolic tassel stick moved, and a movement sensor attached to the tree propagated motion to another tree. The physical collision between Mt. Wilson's wind sound data and mechanical structures resulted in an evolving system of movement, much like the branching growth of a tree.
Diagram of Arduino Setting
Throughout this process, the data was already filtered through my perception, and its form was altered by the machine’s operational structure. Yet, I ask myself: can we still say this data belongs to Mt. Wilson?
"Wind Data Terrarium" explores the complex relationship between human intervention, natural forces, and technological mediation. Though the data is framed by my human perception and veiled by technology, its transformation remains beyond my full prediction or control. Through a speculative design approach, this project challenges conventional notions of communication, emphasizing non-verbal and sensory-based interactions between humans and the environment.
Photo Credit by Minyoung Joo
