This paper describes PlantConnect , a real-time interactive system which explores human-plant interaction via the human act of breathing, the bioelectrical and photosynthetic activity of plants and computational intelligence to bring the two together. Part of larger investigations into alternative models for the creation of shared experiences and understanding with the natural world, the work is presented as a concrete implementation of a possible model based upon reciprocal interplay and information flows between human and non-human worlds.

The author discusses Biopoiesis , a cybernetic art project that explores the relationships between structure, matter and self-organization. Based on the work of cyberneticist Gordon Pask, the project features the construction of simple computational devices that harness an electrochemical reaction. The design and construction of the system is discussed, as well as its conceptual underpinnings and historical context. The relevance of Pask’s electrochemical works to artmaking is also explored.