BreathBlissBar brings plants into decision-making
A while ago, Netta Korhonen from Motiva Services asked if I would like to participate in an experiment. Helsingin Kaupunkitilat Oy and Motiva – valtion kestävän kehityksen yhtiö were doing vision work for the Teurastamo and Tukkutori area in Helsinki (Finland). As a part of the work, they wanted to organize a series of events called Tulevaisuuspäivät - Future Days. And for the event, they wanted three installations to comment on the alternative futures. That sounded like a super cool project, especially when future prototypes are something I love building. I joined the team with two other artists, Emilia Kiialainen and Iiris Herttua. Each of us made our unique provotypes for the event. Let me introduce what I came up with.
BBB - Connecting people and plants
BreathBliss Bar is a fictional oxygen bar and wellness center opening in 2050. In the BreathBliss Bar, plants participate in the organization's strategic decisions and demand shares for biodata sonification. The installation takes people on a time travel to a 2050 urban area, where people and plants have formed an alliance and operate the area together. The Alliance has transferred some of the outside yards into a natural forest, and in the middle, we have a building that is both a sanctuary for nature and people.
So, How did all this start? The new law, agreed with member states, sets a target for the EU to restore 90% of the EU's land and sea areas by 2050. Something I have been following for a while from the news, along with different visions on how to cope with climate change and biodiversity loss.
When we gathered in a kickoff workshop with various stakeholders, many people mentioned the importance of the urban green space and mental wellbeing, the word "happiness bubble" came up in discussions. So, I started imagining a happiness bubble and the best after-party location in the city. But the year 2050 is very far away, and the vision and the goals are very ambitious, especially when they seem hard to reach. I wanted a two-folded prototype: an oxygen bar presenting an excellent wellness center and a dystopian future where nature only survives indoors. After all, the purpose of future provotypes is to provoke discussion - not to present the design.
Nature as a shareholder
The big theme for the work was how we might give a voice to an actor who cannot speak for oneself: nature.
How might we restore and protect nature and support the development of urban cities?
How might we fit humans and nature into the same area and space?
What concrete actions should humans take to support the restoration process?
Some of you have probably spotted for example, Patagonia appointing nature as a shareholder. I wanted to ask who could present nature, or what technology could give it a voice? We already use nature-as-a-service; how would everything differ if nature demanded its share of the profits? What might the profit look like if the people's rules do not determine it?
What if outdoor environments became too unstable for all life forms, forcing a complete relocation of nature indoors?
What if indoor spaces were designed to serve as a refuge for individuals seeking solace and improved mental health?
What if nature had a seat at the Helsinki City Council influencing strategic decisions and the future of Tukkutori and Teurastamo ?
With the installation, I wanted to play around with the idea of nature being equally important as humans in decision-making, and we had lively discussions with the audience.
The installation consisted of golden oxygen masks, a plant wall, biodata-based music, fictional menus, a timeline, and a video. Instead of drinks, this wellness bar served oxygen dozes from golden masks (lots of glitter and paint on medical devices).
Nature as a designer
Another theme for the work was biophilic design. Plants can provide more oxygen-rich and clean air indoors. With biophilic design, we can nurture our relationship with nature and enhance our physical, mental, and emotional well-being. I built a timeline for the fictional alliance of people and plants, providing step-by-step actions for the following years; such as
2035 nature joins Helsinki City Council. AI, sensor technology, and digital twins of nature analyze impact of each decision in realtime / 2038 winter season is getting shorter in the north; torrential rains prevent people from hanging out. Alliance builds a permanent area for promoting wellbeing around the year etc.
We discussed with the audience how a place would feel if the majority of the decoration with natural materials and plants covered all walls (and furniture). Together with the visitors, we discussed how might we incorporate more nature into our indoor designs and urban planning? How might we use biomimicry as a tool for design? How about an indoor bar that plants completely cover?
Together with the audience, we closed our eyes and imagined the space covered in green
Benefits of prototyping futures
In this volatile world, the future is tough to predict. Future prototypes - provotypes are a tool for concrete abstract futures and an excellent tool for collective vision work. Benefits of provotyping futures:
With prototypes, the ecosystem can anticipate change and prepare for it
A tool for discussion - we can collect feedback and discuss the concrete actions
Risk mitigation - Future provotypes bring scenarios to life and ask if this is what we want or do not want.
Innovation and creativity - provotypes bring people together, innovating unconventional solutions for products and services.
Stakeholder engagements: encouraging different parties to discuss the topics and build shared understanding.
In the year 2050 - or not
I have posed questions here that we asked ourselves in the workshop. We are making the future - however it will turn out to be. I hope you find this article inspiring! Thank you for reading this far! Please drop me a note for creating services that consider alternative futures, and let's discuss more.
A big thank you to Kaupunkitilat and Motiva for inviting me to participate in this project! And a big thank you to the whole team, Anna Pakarinen, Netta Korhonen, Elli Saari, Emilia Kiialainen and Iiris Herttua. It was great working with all of you!
The BreathBliss Bar work is a future prototype for the year 2050 to provoke discussion. The installation was presented at the Teurastamo & Tukkutori Futures Day event, organized by Helsingin Kaupunkitilat Oy and Motiva Services Oy in November 2023. The event showcased three installations by artists Auri Antinranta, Iiris Herttua, and Emilia Kiialainen. The Futures Day was organized as a part of a visionary work exploring the future of the urban areas of Teurastamo and Tukkutori in Helsinki, Finland.
This blog was originally published on Linkedin November 23, 2023