Living Typography, Ec(h)o

As the importance of loving one another is emphasized in the Bible, I show ways to care for others, including humans and non-humans, through my work Ec(h)o. Living Typography, Ec(h)o, is a robotically seeded living interface for collective music making. It is composed of a microcontroller, capacitive touch sensors, plants, and planting media. The interface is grown from robotically planted seeds in computationally generated planting patterns. The design is 3D printed by a collaborative robotic arm mounted with an extruder. The extruder prints a blend of planting media and seeds, creating 3D letterforms. The design transforms from a clay body into a profusion of green plants. The topographic typeface becomes community of living organisms competing for light, water, and nutrients. Its shape and color change as the plants grow. As the shoots grow and spread, the letterforms become bolder and more vibrant, with leaves adding weight. The living matter, plants, and soil act as a sensor network. Touching a zone of the living interface will play a sample from a sound palette of environmental recordings. People can touch, feel, listen to, and experience Ec(h)o while they appreciate the beauty of typography and nature, and think of other agents around us through entanglement.