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Plantasia

The music ——Plantasia—— played is designed for plants. Perhaps we should all experience time as plants do.

My childhood memories inspired the design. My grandma grew many petunias in her house, and I could see them flourish in summer by the window. In order to recall this calming and meditative experience, I created this musical device with organic materials.

 

Process

The ingredients are gelatin, glycerin, and water. After cooking it to a consistent status, I poured it into a box bedded with tin foil so the plastic dried over the folds retains these marks and creates a unique texture. Different food dyes were added and stirred in the liquid to create gradient colors. The process was implemented five times and resulted in several bio-plastic pieces that were assembled by hot melt glue with golden glitter power.

Florus 1.0

The original amplifier version. After it was glued together, the structure was disfigured after a few days as the bioplastic continued to shrink. I had to take it apart and start over.

The pieces were cut smaller to ensure a stable shape and resemble the flower’s shape more closely. In the making process, the idea of “collaborating with” the materials rather than controlling them takes precedence. It’s an observation of time and space. When designers engage in design practice from a more open and inclusive perspective, embracing the unexpected and mistakes, it brings a greater sense of participation and possibility to design.