Plantenna 1.0
Can we use the Internet to rethink our relationship with non-human-centered places? Plantenna 1.0 is a proposal to use a webcam and webchat as a respectful, distant & less extractive way to care about nature.
Plantenna 1.0 is a research instrument that proposes new ways of being in contact with nature by mediating between humans and non-humans. By connecting to a fragile plant-like apparatus through an online web-chat, users are invited to initiate a conversation with the Plantenna and ask questions about the meteorological conditions of its surroundings, while accessing a live video feed streamed directly from the device. Despite being a human-made creation, the Plantenna is subject to many of the same constraints as a real plant: it is powered by the sun, and therefore subject to the conditions of the weather. Plantenna’s goal is to propose a non-hierarchical interaction with nature that is based on curiosity and care, rather than control
![The Plantenna © Nicole Marnati.](/media/plantenna-nicole.jpg)
![Plantenna's server webchat and livestream interface.](/media/plantenna000img_6201-copy_hd.jpg)
![The camera streaming live from a low angle, placing the viewer amongst the plants.](/media/1.jpg)
![Plantenna is sun powered, and will go offline after several days of cloudy weather.](/media/26.jpg)
![Battery, weather sensors and web-server running with very limited power.](/media/theremin082img_5045.jpg)