Permanent interactive installations
Botanical Gardens Padua University
September 2014
Three interactive installations full of contents used for the diffusion of scientific thoughts and to increase awareness for environment, exhibited inside of the oldest university garden of the world.
The historical academic Botanical Gardens in Padua are a world heritage site protected by UNESCO.
They are embracing new instruments of research and discovery, with a contemporary twist in the languages, the contents and how they are used.
As part of this vast project, dotdotdot has created three interactive installations for educational activities and research into subjects related to botany, cultivations and biodiversity, with color-coded and highly intuitive interfaces that are easy and enjoyable to explore.
The long journey of plants
The long journey of plants is an invitation to interact with a scenographic and dynamic system to learn more about plant species used in food production.
The contents – geographical origins, history, culture, nutritional value – are visually transmitted through a recipe that describes the different characteristics.
A large infographic panel depicts a planisphere that provides immediate information on the bond between plant species, gastronomy and the land.
Superimposing the panel, on a system of Cartesian axes, a small display shines like a mechanical cursor; it takes a more detailed look into the graphic images they encounter along the way.
On the side of the map, a touch screen is transformed into a console that activates the system and visualizes the contents. In standby mode, when no-one is interacting with the installation, the system is activated in a random manner.
The plants around us
An oniric landscape of trees and shrubs unfolds in The plants around us.
An intuitive and absorbing installation to allow visitors to learn more about thirty different plant species.
Visitors select a plant species from the selection presented on a console; the outline of the plant is presented on the screen front panels.
This is joined by the plant’s characteristics and features, the traditions and how they are used by man, in architecture, in medicine, in cooking etc.
Build your own planetary garden
The technological layout is the same as the one used in the first installation, however the information provided
and the interactive dynamics of the interface are different.
The visitors are then given the opportunity to create their own personal garden.
The installation combines the various parameters selected by the public – climate, grain crops and vegetable plants – and finalizes the journey based on interaction and discover.
When on standby, the system is activated in a random manner, and presents the multiple combinations on the screen.
Collaborators
Marina Cinciripini
Vittorio Cuculo
Ambhika Samsen
Photos
Laura Fantacuzzi
Maxime Galati Fourcade
