Dual Gardens, 2004

Vattenfall, Berlin, Germany

Dual Gardens plays with a dialogue between virtual and real plants. It is a temporary visual environment using computational design in the realm of flora.

The installation consists of two parts in dialogue: a rear-projection on a vertical façade shows a growing virtual tree that extends a real tree trunk located underneath, and a long, street-level façade extending the entrance lobby. The horizontal façade has two different states, one for live performances and another for façade animations. During performances the glass façade is transparent and displays the activities inside. At other times,  the windows are made opaque and turned into projection surfaces with the help of Privalight-screens and tiltable mirrors. Both situations make use of the same visual content.

During the Dual Gardens performance, performers clad in white conical dresses blend in with the projection, becoming the source of the floral growth in the computational garden. Vines grow out of their dresses and extend to the floor. Water glasses are placed on their hems, inviting the audience to have a drink and wander around in the environment created out of virtual and real plants. The computational narrative starts with growing tendrils that begin to blossom. A storm and lightning blow the leaves and petals away, only to start the growth again.