Abstract

Plant Awareness Disparity (PAD) describes a widespread cognitive bias where plant life is systematically overlooked in favor of its animal counterparts. This disconnect is acutely visible in natural history museums where plant life is notoriously difficult to display. Rooted Worlds is an interactive, physical-digital installation designed to combat this bias by bridging the emotional and educational gap between audiences and Earth’s diverse ecosystems. Rejecting traditional flat screens and passive dioramas, the exhibit utilizes a fourteen-foot, 270-degree cylindrical projection screen to immerse visitors in six distinct, digitally rendered global biomes, creating a restorative and engaging space that leverages Attention Restoration Theory (ART). To foster active engagement, Rooted Worlds employs a Tangible User Interface, replacing touchscreens with custom botanical cards and hidden RFID readers. Guided by Seymour Papert’s theory of constructionist “microworlds” and Manu Kapur’s concept of “productive failure,” the interaction loop requires users to collaboratively decode visual heuristics on the physical cards to deduce ecological compatibilities. By transforming passive observation into an active, tactile process of deductive construction, the installation demonstrates how spatial projection and physical computing can successfully reframe plants as dynamic biological organisms, offering a compelling blueprint for modern museum exhibition design.

Publication Date

7-2028

Document Type

Thesis

Student Type

Graduate

Degree Name

Visual Communication Design (MFA)

Department, Program, or Center

Visual Communications Studies

College

College of Art and Design

Advisor

Adam Smith

Advisor/Committee Member

Dan DeLuna

Additional Files
Groborchik_RootedWorlds_Exhibition_Reel.mp4 (657592 kB)

Campus

RIT – Main Campus

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