PROJECT NAME
Worms!
GROUPS PROJECT
TIME
September 2022 - October 2022 (2 months)
DESIGN BRIEF
Make a visionary that shows the value preceding to build upon the human body experience, raising awareness through aesthetic and strange physical interaction with a showroom fitting artificial environment.
ACTIVITIES
Literature Review & Context Analysis, Design process, Field work, Sketching, Digital prototyping, Documentation
CONTEXT
Earthworms are a vital part of soil health and fertility, and awareness of their behavior could help navigate towards healthier environments and increased biodiversity. At the same time, they (perhaps wrongly) acquired the status of being distasteful. There is a lot to be gained when knowledge of the species and of the soil increases and becomes more widespread. This research explores the use of an AI-informed artificial environment that provides the user with opportunities to explore the earthworm kingdom. The design is guided by first person perspective insights of the research team’s experience of searching for and investigating earthworms. Aside from the search for what could constitute valuable experiences in exploring the earthworm kingdom, this research also presents two visionary implications of AI as a material for increasing more-than-human knowledge and consciousness.
DESIGN PROCESS
At the start of the project, similar projects were examined, and certain communication strategies were researched to determine which contexts were most suitable. Hereafter, we tested various visual styles, compositions, and informational layouts to determine their effectiveness. Throughout the project, sketching, prototyping, and refining the designs, the final idea was realised. In the end, an engaging and educational representation of the earthworm's density was created that represents the soil quality in a particular area in the Netherlands.
