Alan and I are planning to create an interactive tree stump. We have climate change data that we will incorporate within the stump. The data regards ponderosa pine growth dating back to the 1600s. There will be data for each ring on the stump and the corresponding year.

HOW: We intend to obtain a tree stump, or make our own with the laser cutter. Users will somehow interact with the stump and each ring. They will interact through nails, connected in the hollowed out stump and a stylus, or metal rings and a stylus, or capacitive tough sensors or photocells. We will feed the user touch data to a Max/MSP patch that maps the data to the corresponding Ponderosa Pine growth rate index which will then be mapped into an auditory response.

We will also incorporate ambient noises that change depending on a slider controlled by the user.

WHAT: This interactive object will allow users to listen to the average growth rate of Colorado Ponderosa Pines over the span of a single tree’s life by touching the tree rings.

WHY: We want this object to give users a new perspective on the lifespan and growth of a single tree. We want this to be a more fun way of sharing information about Ponderosa Pines.

As for the materials:

Need:

• tree stump (real or artificial)
• nails and/or metal tree rings or stylus
• capacitive touch/photocells sensors
• potentiometers/sliders and other miscellaneous items

Have:

• climate change data