After Nature (coding and re-coding nature), Mathias Kessler

In his project, After Nature, Mathias Kessler plays with scenarios in which humankind contemplates the possibility or impossibility of replacing and coding nature. The greenhouse hosts an experimental setup that alerts us to the plants’ needs in response to factors such as sunlight, water, ventilation, and environmental stress. This information, gathered by complex sensors that run on algorithms and Unix software, helps to determine if we can actually understand how plants react to stresses. Ultimately, the project hopes to provide the data needed to create a plant-care algorithm. Kessler collaborated with project manager Dr. Wendelin Weingartner, software engineer Ovidiu Farauanu, hardware engineer George M. Gallant, Jr., and KU research engineer Ed Komp to adapt an EEG health monitor and software to communicate stress symptoms in plants.

Plants, like any lifeform, emit very low electrical charges that can be measured, recorded, and analyzed. Upon entering the greenhouse, a voice-equipped robot interacts with machines that in turn maintain a relationship with the plants through analytic software, and brings our attention to watering, ventilation, and UV-intake needs. The voice command function of the robot informs visitors of the current status of the plants and announces any upcoming actions that the machines might take. Sensors record this data on the greenhouse’s computer, which uploads the information to a website.