Life on Land: A Buzzing Interactive Installation
Namit Tirkey, Pawan Kumar, Sidharth Goutham
Beekeeping can contribute to forest conservation (15.1) Bees contribute to biodiversity by pollinating flowering trees and plants (15.5) Incorporating beekeeping in local planning processes may support reforestation activities which can result in poverty reduction and sustainable regional development (15.9)
Mind-Map
Day in the life
What is the problem at hand?
Brainstorming + Ideation Process
In the beginning, focusing on the SDG targets and the role of bees around it, we incorporated divergent thinking around the following points:
How we can create the awareness about the importance of existence of honey bees in the ecosystem and convey the message with the aspects of sensory, social & cognitive interactive installation.
we wanted to build the emotional connection between the visitors & the design installation through gesture, tangible & digital interaction.
we are giving them sense of reality check about the natural disaster incoming because of the decline in honey bee population
Incorporate an emotional storytelling element, such as personal stories of beekeepers and their dedication to preserving honey bee populations.
Incorporative aspects
Sensory Interaction:
Install a large, visually captivating beehive structure with transparent walls, allowing visitors to see real bees inside.
Incorporate audio elements that play the sounds of buzzing bees and the hum of a thriving ecosystem.
Integrate aromatic stations that release the scent of blooming flowers and honey, engaging visitors' sense of smell.
Social Interaction:
Create a "Beekeeper's Corner" where trained educators or beekeepers interact with visitors, providing insights into bee behavior, their role in pollination, and the current challenges they face.
Foster a sense of community by encouraging visitors to share their experiences and thoughts on social media platforms using a designated hashtag.
Cognitive Interaction:
Develop a digital interface within the installation that offers interactive displays and touchscreens.
Provide informative videos and animations explaining the ecological importance of honey bees, the consequences of their decline, and solutions to protect them.
Engage visitors in quizzes and games to test their knowledge about bees and their impact on the environment.
How did we finalize?
We looked at different ideas and after a vote finalized 3 designs. These 3 designs were the ones which we felt showed the problems of the bees as endangered species and showed aspects of the SDG targets. The following are few of the elements of the interaction mirrors which we have tried to portray with our concepts.
See, Touch, Hear
Community engagement, Community participation, Social responsibility, Reflection of Society, Social Issues.
Symbolism Interpretation Thought alteration Overload.
Technological Feasibility, Material Feasibility, Viability
Engagement Awareness capability, Thought provocation
Artistic, Fun, Excitement
We narrowed the ideas into 3 concepts
The vanishing nature
Objective: To make the visitors feel how important bees are for everyday things of the world to exist.
Images of beauty vanishing when the visitor approaches and looks at the images
The visitor will experience scenes of natural beauty from far away but when interacting with the installation, the visitor will get a sense how these beautiful elements is vanishing day by day. This obstruction in the view also expresses problems in the vision of the bees due to air pollution and other chemical pollutants, such as pesticides or pollutants in the air and water.
The installation has made the use of the three mirrors of interaction in the following ways:
Sensory: Seeing or rather not being able to see the beauty of nature which we today take for granted.
Social: Social responsibility, reflection and sense of social issue are some elements the viewers might feel through the show of vanishing of the natural beauty.
Cognitive: The visitors are presented with the thought of natural beauty that we all take for granted vanishing before their eyes. This can create a sense of interpretation and thought alteration.
Art Interrupted
Objective: To make the visitors aware of how their actions have consequences for the world that we live in
The initial concept, which involved the creation of an art exhibition showcasing altered paintings and photographs within a context where bees are absent, evolved significantly. A new dimension was added, incorporating an interactive game element.
In this scenario, users actively engage with the exhibition by playing a game that directly influences and affects the installation's outcome.
The visitor will start the gameplay which will be divided in parts. As the visitor advances in the game, their actions will result in the revelation of the the paintings on the wall which were covered with bees. The paintings are iconic which has relation with nature and is protected by bees. So when the visitors take actions, the bees no longer protect the nature in the paintings. This will create a sense of direct cause and responsibility of the visitors towards protecting bees and the nature.
The installation has a wall made of therm0col, the wall has iconic paintings hung on them. The paintings have bees projected on them which are obstructing the view of the painting. The display has a gameplay board which are divided into parts. As the visitor advances in the game, it has consequences due to which the bees move and fall from the painting, which reveals the paintings.
The installation has made the use of the three mirrors of interaction in the following ways:
Sensory: Physical interaction with the gameplay board and the direct consequences of which the visitors will be able to see on the painting display.
Social: Social responsibility, reflection and sense of social issue are some elements the viewers might feel through the show of vanishing of the natural beauty.
Cognitive: The visitors are presented with the thought of iconic elements of the contemporary world being not the same without the presence of these little protector of our planet. This can create a sense of interpretation and thought overload.
3. The Hive Havoc
Objective: To give the visitors an experience of the honey collecting process and the discomfort this process gives to the bees.
The concept shifted from a fixed, non-interactive installation to one with motion-detecting interactions and sensory stimulation.
It also changed from a single hexagonal structure to three, each representing different aspects of the importance of bees, in order to enhance its effectiveness.
The installation has a pathway leading to a giant hive display. The pathway has sensors which triggers the buzzing sounds of the bees. The giant hive display has sensors which will sense the visitors trying to approach the hive and the sensors changes the colors of the hive.
The installation has made the use of the three mirrors of interaction in the following ways:
Sensory: The installation has the sense of sound with the feeling of bewilderment through the aggressive buzzing of the bees. The installation also present the sense of touch provoking a personal action on the process of collection of the honey.
Social: Social responsibility, reflection and sense of social issue are some elements the viewers might feel through the show of aggression and bewilderment of bees.
Cognitive: The aggression and bewilderment can provoke a sense of thought alteration and information overload.
