An interactive visual system that responds to human presence
Skills
Creative Coding, Interaction Design, p5.js, ml5.js
Category
Experience Design
Date
March - May 2025
Garden of Presence is a digital experience where flowers bloom when you’re nearby. It uses a camera to sense when someone is present, and the flowers respond by slowly opening. When no one’s there, they gently close. It’s quiet, visual, and doesn’t need you to click or say anything. The project explores how simple, calm interaction can still feel meaningful.
My original idea was a Social Battery Lamp. A physical object that responded to small gestures like dropping tokens, blowing air, or holding it. The goal was to visualize emotional energy and create a quiet, responsive experience. I realized I could achieve that same feeling using simpler tools.
These books and case studies showed how quiet presence eases isolation. So I designed the system not to mimic a person, but to simply acknowledge someone’s there.
I started by making the flowers react, but then I focused on how the experience actually felt. Small timing and spacing changes made a big difference. I realized presence alone can create meaningful interaction.
When you approach, the flowers open; when you leave, they fade. It’s simple but it feels intimate, like the space notices you. That quiet acknowledgement is what I wanted to create.
This project taught me that meaningful interaction doesn’t have to be loud, complex, or social. Sometimes, the most powerful experiences come from simply being acknowledged. Garden of Presence is about designing with restraint; letting calm, subtle feedback do the emotional work. I learned to trust minimalism, embrace silence, and prioritize feeling over function.
