Whispers in the Bark is an interactive installation in which a responsive “tree” is programmed to track and respond to human presence. Using motion sensors, servo motors, and an AI tracking system, the branch turns toward movement and follows viewers through the space, staging an encounter that feels like a dialogue.
I’m not trying to represent a “social tree-agent” through humanlike cues. Instead, I design movement and the conditions of the encounter—timing, hesitation, proximity, and imperfect tracking—to evoke relational attention without pretending the branch has a human mind. In this way, the work treats the tree not as background but as an active, more-than-human participant.
Symbolizing the fragile relationship between humanity and nature, the installation invites reflection on environmental stewardship and shared responsibility. Mutual care and communication become experiential: the viewer’s presence shapes the tree’s behavior, and the tree’s behavior reshapes how the viewer moves, pauses, and attends—suggesting that harmony is not a given, but something we continually enact.