Vegetal Studies

The Plant Life Support System (PLSS) is an interdisciplinary research project that aims to bring plants and people together in creative ways.  We intend to build a semi-automated, sensor-driven ‘life support system’ that provides plants growing in otherwise hostile environments (such as office buildings) with access to the water, sunlight, air etc. that they need to thrive. Importantly, as they are connected to sensors that relay information about humidity, light and motion to the relevant apparatus, the plants in a PLSS have a measure of autonomy that is rarely afforded to regular potted/indoor plants. 

As it stands, mid-way through development, the system consists of modular planter boxes and containers, watered by a passive plumbing system. We currently have a diversity of ornamental, edible and medicinal plants thriving in the lab (http://topologicalmedialab.net/) This has not come without challenges, some of which I will discuss in the interest of exposing the socio-technical issues that arise in the course of experimental research of this nature.

Ultimately, this project is an exercise in re-inventing our relationship with plants; it is a creative experiment inspired by unconventional farming, urban environments, philosophers, new media art and others in the international ecologically-minded community. We initiated this project in order to prompt dialogue about some fascinating and difficult problems that face those who strive for robustly self-sustaining communities in an increasingly urban and digital-media dependent world. Because it proposes both theoretical and pragmatic approaches to these problems, my presentation will alternately discuss the technical and philosophical aspects of PLSS.