All measurements are most probably highly tentative, subject to materials availability and also subject to change after testing..

The mechanics of the flower is TBC as of now. References here:

 

How does your audience experience your project?

They will be allowed to do the following, in any order and times they please.

• Add water
• Add soil
• Add fertilisers
• Remove any of the above
• Observe flower behaviour and react accordingly.
• Retry if flower ‘died’

Is it for a single person to engage with your project or for multiple participants concurrently?

It is designed for two participants concurrently.

What is the interaction or situation you are creating for your audience?

The situation I am attempting to create is one of questioning ‘authority’. It is essentially an abstraction of what we are faced with on a daily basis.

Every day, whether at work or in school, we are constantly fed with instructions of all kinds; from people who know better or otherwise. It has come to a point where there is a serious lack of critical questioning.

Schools are increasingly promoting a more inquisitive approach to learning, especially at the tertiary levels.

In this interaction, I aim to re-create the dynamics of the aforementioned problem; participants are given a set of detailed instructions, to nurture a flower into full bloom. However, after repeated attempts, they will realise that even if they follow the instructions to the letter, they will inevitably fail.

The odd individual who chooses to take charge of his/her own destiny and tap into his/her skills of acute observation and reasoning, thereby acting accordingly will be duly rewarded.

What is the intention of this interaction?

The decision to have two participants is critical to the concept. The installation aims to critique prevailing societal norms to not question ‘authority’, especially when it concerns processes that one is not familiar with.

Examples:

• How to effectively carry out recycling at a grassroots level
• How to verify water from the taps are safe for consumption
• What is the logical stipulated number of hours we should spend at work and if all safety issues are adequately addressed

These examples might seem far-fetched, but in a mature, modern, first-rate society, these are serious issues that everyone needs to consider, not only for their own good but also for people they care about.

In an ideal situation, all these ‘issues’ are ‘well taken care of ‘. But the fallacy of this assumption arises whenever accidents happen and get reported in the news. That is almost always the case when major scandals get unveiled and millions of tax dollars squandered.

The modern society we live in comfortably abstracts many of these processes away for our ‘benefit’, so that we can focus on what we do best, to specialise and contribute economically; and to be in a constant chase for material consumerism and the quest for bigger and better things. I digress..