Plant Futures

Plant Futures began with a simple question: how might a single flower tell the story of a changing climate? Centered on the Circaea Alpina, a rare alpine species found in Finland, the project uses climate projection data to imagine how the plant might adapt by 2100—stretching petals, deepening veins, shifting colour—as its environment evolves.

By pairing scientific inputs with generative algorithms, we built a tool that turns data into visual, living forms. The result is both speculative and grounded: a glimpse into an ecological future, seen through the lens of one small, resilient flower.

Though it focuses on just a single species, the project gestures toward a much broader ecological truth: as climate conditions shift, so too will the plants that surround us—quietly, profoundly, and in ways we may not yet understand. Funded by EMAP as part of Annelie Berner’s artist residency, the project blends scientific inquiry, generative design, and environmental storytelling into a single, speculative bloom.

Our challenge was to create a generative engine capable of morphing a single flower in real time, based on complex environmental inputs. To imagine future versions of the Circaea Alpina, the algorithm needed to visually interpret how various aspects of the plant could shift in response to changing climate conditions.

The model focused on specific morphological traits, each linked to environmental factors:

• Flower and petal size – affected by temperature and CO₂ levels
• Petal colour – influenced by drought, heat, nutrient levels, sun stress, and water availability
• Vein structure – shaped by particulate matter, soil quality, and hydration
• UV pigment & bullseye – tied to ozone levels
• Secondary petals – a visual indicator of data confidence
• Scent emission – altered by drought, ozone pollution, and temperature

We collaborated closely with Annelie to map biological sensitivity to data variability, ensuring that the visual outputs were both imaginative and grounded in real-world systems. We used our in-house software Nodes.io to develop the generative algorithm and 3D plant modelling system, whilst designing a web interface that made these complex interactions both intuitive and expressive.

Design priorities included:

• Seamless integration of multi-dimensional climate data
• Real-time, interactive 3D rendering using WebGL
• A contemplative, minimal interface that invites exploration and speculation

The result is a web-based tool that translates climate projections into living, speculative forms—offering users a way to see, and feel, how one rare flower might bloom in 2100.

Our algorithms allowed us to create a number of variants of the plant.

During the development of the project we went though multiple iterations of futuristic plant petals.

The project was exhibited at Vantaa Art Museum, Antrepeaux, iMAL and shortlisted for Information is Beautiful Awards 2024.