Project Details

What if a plant could play the role of a billboard, conveying information to us about the health of the cities we live in?

Real time traffic congestion data is displayed using a living organism. A plant responds to the daily ebb and flow of Melbourne traffic, wilting when roads are congested, and flourishing when traffic flows freely. Developed over a two month stint at Space Tank Studio, the project harnesses live data from a government open data platform to control water and nutrient delivery to the plant. 

In an age where people are increasingly isolated from natural processes, Live Data imparts digital information through a living interface. 

Live Data was exhibited as part of Media Lab Melbourne’s Urban Reneural exhibition, featuring work from four different artists responding to the prompt ‘How can we rewire the city through technology, data, and artistic processes?’