Gutong Chen 陈顾彤

'Plants play a very important role in our lives and in the ecosystem. Plants also have to cope with a variety of difficulties in their survival, including drought, lack of nutrients, viruses and bacteria. By understanding how plants solve the problems imposed on them by their environment, humans can apply these solutions to our own challenges.'

The project is about exploring the biological rhythms of nature and the vitality and mobility of plants.

The designer researched and used bionics to restore the life state of plants and highlight their biological features in wearable clothing. Clothes and garments are created which can think and move on their own, and which question the viewer as to whether these 'brains' are natural or the plants' themselves. This type of wearable installation will allow people to interact with plants in real time, and also allow people to feel more deeply the existence of plants in this world as well as the influence of plants on people and the world. The aim of the project is to focus on showing the vitality of plants which is usually ignored.

The final product is divided into two parts, including ‘Plant Beasts’ which uses mechanics to walk and move on its own by relying on wind energy；and the 'Wind Catcher'. Research has shown that the wind can cause an acceleration of air flow which can promote gas exchange in leaf stomata and facilitate carbon uptake by plants, and increase the surface area of plants in contact with sunlight, which facilitates photosynthesis. The 'Wind Catcher’ can therefore simulate the life activity of plants under different sunlight conditions and in the presence of wind.