Findings
Our project looks at the context of nature and how we might be able to reimagine these spaces as though we might begin to place ourselves in the world of these plants or flowers.
Through the collection of data from, in particular, various flower species, we use the characteristics and personality traits in forming AI text prompts to visualise abstract, surrealistic spaces that takes viewers away from the context of reality and the digital worlds that youths have for so long inhabited, and to be more connected with nature in a more experimental and explorative approach while being in touch with their own emotions that these visual spaces evoke within them upon looking at them.
As today’s digital nomads ever-connected to the internet, Gen Z’s are faced with the bombardment of information and news among other social activities and gaming pursuits they engage online. With 95% of Gen Z’s owning smartphones and 69% becoming uncomfortable after being away from internet access for more than 8 hours, the interdependency with technology could only lead to the uptick of mental health and attachment issues youths have with their devices in an increasingly digitised world.
The role and impact of technology in today's times are more prominent than ever. This leads to our observations in Gen Z’s paying less attention to their surroundings, especially in nature environments, given how much time and the majority could be seen engaged with their phones on a daily basis.
Insights we gained
Our project looks at the context of nature andhow we might be able to reimagine these spaces
as though we might begin to place ourselves in
the world of these plants or flowers.
Our decision to work on the topic of nature in the context of a text prompt brief is our desire to expose ourselves to new ways of looking and approaching things. Nature, as something that governs us all and the world we live in, but rarely paying it mind to the benefits and purposes they might provide us. Technology, as advanced as AI has become, we wonder how we could test the limits of its capabilities in creating otherworldly outcomes beyond that of the human mind.
Through the collection of data from, in particular, various flower species, we use the characteristics and personality traits in forming AI text prompts to visualise abstract, surrealistic spaces that takes viewers away from the context of reality and the digital worlds that youths have for so long inhabited, and to be more connected with nature in a more experimental and explorative approach while being in touch with their own emotions that these visual spaces evoke within them upon looking at them.
These AI images are compiled into different volumes of interactive print publication as distinguished by colour, that viewers are able to unfold to reveal these fantastical and fantasy-like spaces on the inside, as though opening the doors or through the action of unlocking something secret and private. Viewers may then select which coloured rooms or spaces they’d like to view according to which resonates with them emotionally.
Given how mired in reality we already are, and how most youths are dangerously obsessed and stuck in their own digital world, in making use of how advanced technology is through AI with visuals it’s come up with being towards the fantasy and dreamworld-like spectrum, we began to imagine how it might feel like to inhabit them these spaces, to contemplate and ponder of an alternate reality or given space where we may be free from restraint, all if only through our own fervid imagination.
This series of pocket-sized publications serves as a physical collection that takes viewers outside of their screens, in hopes of cultivating an appreciation for the physicality of things. It sees the expansion towards the exploration of other closely related subject matter including the biodiversity of flora, fauna, and animals being in abundance all around us that we’ve yet to fully understand.
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Design Decisions
With a printed outcome, one of many things we’ve considered is the interactivity and engagement on the part of viewers, how their experience may be as they pick up, look at, and observe the images in a way that’s more hands-on.We eventually land on a folding option that’s simple enough to take viewers through its installation while still being interactive in its unveiling.
The materiality we’ve chosen is one that’s thick enough to provide weight to each page and for the folding pop-up to be able to stand on its own. For each volume, the fronts and backs are also further backed by thick cardboard so as to add to its substantiality as a book collection.
As our concept idea and images are of an abstract nature in which we want viewers to have room for their own interpretation, the basic design of our publication is kept relatively minimalistic and simple. Bold fill colours, full-bleed visuals, and a sans-serif typeface are elements that contribute towards a modest and unassuming layout and overall design.
Challenges
A challenge encountered in our project was staying on brief as much as possible in answering our aim and objectives, all without overcomplicating things yet being able to offer something that was new and exciting enough to entice audiences in wanting to learn more about what it is we’re trying to do. We’re reminded again how working with a target audience in mind keeps the process more focused.
In a world where we’re possibly running short of originality and novel ideas, we can admit it’s difficult to produce something that hasn’t been done, thought about, or seen before. Working within the boundary line of taking chances and risks when broaching a new topic with what we know well and do best is just equally as complex when it comes to reaching an agreement when presented with a stumbling block. However, it’s only within a group setting that we realise how different members, with their own skill set, experiences and way of thinking, are able to offer a wider range of creative input and contrasting opinions so that what we’re working towards yields the best possible result.
