Whispering Forest

2023

This interactive installation uses touch sensors and body tracking to trigger visual effects simulating mycelium and moss growth. The project blends nature and technology, allowing users to interact with clay mushrooms and watch mycelium connect when touched. Body tracking adds a layer of immersion as moss grows on participants' bodies in real time. Developed with a focus on interactivity and natural ecosystems, the installation creates an engaging, immersive experience that showcases the harmony between organic elements and digital art.

Problem / Challenge

How can we create a deeper, tangible connection between humans and the natural world through digital interaction? In particular: -Can we turn the hidden mycelium communication network into an interactive experience people can physically touch and hear? -Can we show how people's presence and interaction impact an ecosystem?

Solution & Concept

We designed an interactive forest installation where visitors engage with clay mushrooms embedded with touch sensors. -Each mushroom represents part of a mushroom network that responds with musical tones when touched. -When multiple users interact together, new soundscapes emerge, reflecting a communal mycelium response. -Using body tracking, we project moss growth on participants’ bodies in real time, reinforcing the metaphor of nature responding and adapting to human presence. -The installation uses projection mapping to simulate underground mycelium spreading across the floor when people engage. Our concept was to visualize and sonify nature’s invisible networks, transforming passive observation into an immersive co-creation experience.

Technical Implementation & Innovations

-Clay mushrooms were hand-crafted and embedded with capacitive touch sensors (Arduino) to detect real-time interaction. -Body tracking was implemented using ml5.js to track participant movement and project growing moss. -A custom projection mapping setup visualized mycelium patterns expanding on the ground when users touched mushrooms. -A dynamic sound engine generated layered soundscapes based on how many people were touching different mushrooms simultaneously.

User Feedback & Testing

-Tested during CCI Summer Showcase, with over 200 participants. -Observed high engagement, with participants experimenting with coordination to “compose” music and trigger complex growth visuals. -Many users described the experience as “magical,” “grounding,” and “thought-provoking.”

Potential Applications

-Exhibitions in digital art, media art, eco-art, or museum contexts -Environmental education tools—helping students or the public visualize ecological concepts -Experimental sound installations—for audio/visual festivals