Concept
The fragile, thin and complicated structure of dandelion attracts attention of an observer, who stay in the «outside» world and experiencing harsh, hot-windy-dusty natural desert environment. He can experience calm and frozen-like structure of the inner world of dandelion protected by almost invisible shell. He may think of the structure of dandelion behind the thin wall, as the soul-spirit, living body-shell in the of a human. Thinking of such an analogy can bring to sensation and understanding of the fragileness of human soul protected by thin shell of the body, which like a small seeds of dandelion will spread in the universe as long as the shell will be broken. It is amazing how it withstand this environment without being yet broken.
Unique interactive plants at the field, in fact, all are singles. The presence of humans unite them and bring into movement and achieve effect of connection, which will be demonstrated through amplification of light, flickering and movement.
Installation
The FOMD artwork is a open space installation containing the number of active robotic plants distributed equidistantly across the round field and surrounded by large-scaled static mesh-like leaves. Each plant is a bendable mechanical assembly of aprox. 3 ft height with the head of natural giant dandelion (T. dubius or salsify) mounted on top. The heads of dandelions are preserved in a thin transparent spherical shells of diameter ca. 5 inch. The light from beneath the dandelion head scatters at the thin and fragile achenes of dandelion and visualizes the complicated and unique structure of each plant.
The stem of plants made out of self-supporting metal spring, allowing to bend the head over the cone with displacement reaching aprox. 12 inches from the central axis. All robotic plants are linked to the network which independently and simultaneously controls the illumination, bending direction and amplitude of each plant according to the dynamically calculated algorithm.
Physical Dimensions
Diameter of installation ca. 50 ft (15 m), Height: 8 ft (2.5 m)
Interactivity
The interactivity of the FOMD achieved by “smart” move and illumination of the robotic plants throughout the day and the night. The stems bends themself allowing heads to track/follow the position of Sun or Moon that realizes a slow move of long-cycle part algorithm. Approaching and than presence of visitor or group/s of visitors walking across the field will activate fast move short-cycle algorithm which affects the predefined slow move and forces each plant independently and react on the behavior and appearance of approaching visitor or the group of visitors. The move of plants is accompanied by the change in their individual illumination and creates additional visual effect during the night. A personalized-like response/reaction of the field as well as the reaction of individual planst on the visitor’s presence and his behavior is achieved by variating brightness, flickering and color shift that generates a specific, dynamically changing light pattern across the field.