Talking Tree

This artwork, exhibited at a university campus and shrine in Japan, utilizes a participatory approach to encourage engagement with a large camphor tree on the campus. The artwork aims to facilitate a realistic dialogue between participants and the tree, in order to reveal emotions related to the pandemic context. Through this communication, more than one hundred participants were able to engage in an interactive experience with the tree. The author talked to the participants as a camphor tree. This artwork serves as an example of how art, design, and technology can elicit emotional responses and facilitate deeper connections with the natural environment.