Google Flowers
With an expanded presence in New York City’s Chelsea neighborhood, Google wanted to create an installation for its new 9th Avenue lobby that would serve as a friendly fixture in the community—something to start conversations and bring people joy, whether they’re seeing it for the first time or they walk past daily.
Project Overview
Leaning into Google’s light palette with delightful pops of color, we created Flowers, a graceful and dynamic installation made up of 160electromechanical flowers that suspend from the ceiling of Google’s lobby. Visible from the street, this kinetic exhibit uses real-time sensing and machine learning to respond to both visitors and passersby. During the day, the flowers start in a closed state and bloomopen in two stages, reacting to the movement of people in the lobby below. In the evening, the choreography is cued by outside pedestrians.
The exhibit’s various modes and animations include easter eggs and layered interactivity. Recognizing movement, the flowers open slightly and reveal a subtle color shift. As lobby guests linger underneath, the fixtures blossom open fully, revealing a vibrant interior.In crowded scenarios, the system goes into a generative autopilot mode that mimics the kinetic energy of the space. Additionally, there is a small screen on the 9th Avenue-facing window that provides hints to passersby to perform a specific gesture, triggering a surprise sequence. (Sensor data is for real-time interaction only; data is never stored or viewed.)
The flowers are designed in a modular fashion and fabricated with matte powder-coated metal and specially-printed Tyvek for the colored interiors. Custom software and an admin user interface enable full control of the exhibit.
Flowers is a joyful statement to the Chelsea community and an invitation to look around. The responsive environment rewards people who look up and slow their pace to watch the unique floral fixtures bloom.
Flowers was named Environmental Winner and Best-in-Show at the 2022 Communication Arts Interactive Awards, and was Silver Winner for Pop-Ups, Display, Exhibit & Set Design at the 2022 New York Design Awards.
Project Details
Design Team
Deeplocal
Photo Credits
Google (photography), Deeplocal (videography)
Open Date
December 2021