In an interspecies design process the Dialoguing with Ecologies Group has created multiple conversation tools enabling different forms of dialoguing with the ecology of bark. These tools start a long term dialogue with the organisms that evolves over time. Besides the concept of nature’s times we have also examined the intelligent interactions between the species living on the same substrate. At the end stands the Organic Gate, our attempt at establishing this long term dialogue. It lets humans pose questions to the ecology through a digital interface and automatically transmits them. The Organic Gate is visually intriguing and interactive, grabbing attention. With it we can reflect on the value we want to give to our environment and it offers a thought provoking possibility of human-nature dialogue.
How would you
start the dialogue
with bark?
About the Organic Gate
The Organic Gate is our key attempt at establishing a long term dialogue with the ecology of bark. It attaches to a tree, sprays water onto the bark and measures the subsequent bioactivity. The amount of water is digitally connected to any desired input. The measurement of the photosynthetic activity via an infrared camera offers the possibility to interpret the response of the ecology. Via our website you can add your own conversation topics and learn more about the project. The Organic Gate stands as the first prototype to observe the response of organisms on bark triggered by human influence over a timeframe of multiple decades. In the long term we hope that interspecies design becomes possible by starting a dialogue between humans and ecologies.