Plant Dialogues
Plant Dialogues
The ‘Plant Dialogues’ project developed an innovative approach to conversational journalism to present the topic of biodiversity in a new light, by setting up three laboratory meadows equipped with sensors to collect environmental data as part of a three-month field experiment. The data collected was fed into a dialogue application that enabled users to chat directly with the plants, thereby experiencing a new form of science communication.
| Project lead: | Prof. Dr Sebastian Pranz |
| Duration: | April 2023 to December 2023 |
| Funding body: | Institute for Biodiversity (BioDiv) |
Summary
The ‘Plant Dialogues’ project was launched with the vision of reimagining the topic of biodiversity through the lens of conversational journalism. To this end, three laboratory meadows were established as part of a three-month field experiment, in which environmental data was collected using sensors. The data was fed into a dialogue application, enabling users to chat with the plants. The aim of the funding under the experimental strand was to investigate feasibility through various prototypes and to develop a rough concept for a permanent installation in a public space.
Activities during the project period
As part of the ‘Plant Dialogues’ project, a seminar comprising 8 SWS (Lernagentur) was held in collaboration with h_da and BioDiv. During this seminar, the laboratory beds were laid out and maintained, the data infrastructure was developed, initial designs for a data-based dialogue application were created and discussed, and the rough concept for public engagement via Instagram was drawn up and implemented. The seminar’s target group consisted of 22 students. The activities spanned the summer term and included a kick-off workshop at the Bioversum Museum in Darmstadt, various workshops at h_da, and a final presentation in July. The seminar was led by Prof. Dr Sebastian Pranz and Dr Jakob Vicari; guests included, amongst others, the philosopher of technology Alfred Nordmann and the environmental journalist Torsten Schäfer.
Final workshop in Lübeck
The exploratory phase of the project concluded with a joint evaluation of all activities with a view to long-term further development. During a three-day final workshop, all project components were first evaluated and scenarios for further development were formulated. From the various use cases, an exhibition planned by BioDiv in Darmstadt from May onwards was identified, at which the city’s public will be informed about the topic of biodiverse ‘island biotopes’. The theme of urban biodiversity thus ties in directly with the concepts developed and lends itself to a variety of narrative perspectives. As a robust and low-maintenance technology, plans are in place to develop a ‘dialogue bench’, which serves as both a touchpoint and a data point. As an innovative media hybrid combining local and data journalism, the ‘Pflanzendialoge 2.0’ project facilitates dialogue with urban nature and ‘regionalises’ the complex topic of biodiversity.
