KWMC have been working with artist Kasia Molga to explore how environmental sensors could help growers, plants and pollinators to:
Relate differently: developing more caring and mutually beneficial relationships
Connect more: forming new networks of knowledge and support
Communicate better: experiencing new ways to share/sense data
Through 2021 Kasia has been working with the first local Knowle West residents to have We Can Make homes, as well as local expert growers and gardeners from Knowle West. Kasia, who is based in Kent, has been leading hybrid workshops to explore what sensors can do and how we could use them to help us understand & relate to our gardens better.
From these sessions we found out that most people wanted to know how to care for their plants – especially when to water the plants and wondered if there could be some way for the garden to communicate its needs more clearly. Together they designed an object to go in your garden which would tell you when a plant was thirsty by playing a tune through a music box and showing simple messages like ‘I need water’ on a small screen or through flashing lights.