Project developed with Paolo Basso, Enrico Fraioli e Anna Rodighiero.

Interaction Design Lab, IUAV University of Venice, 2012. Prof: Philip Tabor and Gillian Crampton Smith.

Butterfly Effect is an interactive installation in the ‘Serra’, an old greenhouse near Venice’s Biennale Gardens. A large wall of reflective ‘butterflies’ in the café area forecasts the weather wordlessly and metaphorically.

Reflections in the room and little mechanical sounds signal the butterflies’ active presence. Taking information from a meteorological website, they express data about future weather via delicate movements of their wings.

People can interact with the installation simply through their voice and presence:

1. If there’s somebody talking close to the wall, butterfly are shy and stay still

2. As soon as they feel no more voices, they suddenly come out and start moving, just like butterflies do.

Following is a video prototype of the installation:

More informations about the project on the IUAV Interaction Design course website.