Funky Forest

One of Watson’s first works—and one that has been reproduced many times internationally—is the Funky Forest. The interactive installation is a collaboration with Emily Gobeille for the 2007 Cinekid festival in the Netherlands. Designed as a way to teach children about ecosystems, the installation is comprised of a room with projections on each wall and the floor.[1] The room is transformed into a colorful, playful ecosystem full of imaginative creatures. Children can create trees using a specific body motion and then move around projected water in order to water the trees they created. Trees that are not watered wither and die. The health of the forest determines the types of digital creatures that inhabit it. In 2009 another version of the forest was created called the ‘Moomah’ edition, which expanded on the original by introducing four seasons with unique environments and different wildlife for each. The new version also has what is described as a “particle system”, where in the fall leaves fall from trees and in the winter it snows. The Moomah edition is installed state-side at the Moomah Children’s Café in New York City.[2]

[1]Watson, Theo. “Funky Forest.” Accessed March 10, 2012. http://www.theowatson.com/site_docs/work.php?id=41.

[2] Watson, Theo. “Funky Forest
Moomah Edition.” Accessed March 10, 2012.
http://theowatson.com/site_docs/work.php?id=45.
 

Sources: http://www.theowatson.com/site_docs/work.php?id=41