Justina Alexandroff's Faux Flora: Artificial Flowers Guide Pollinators Through Polluted Cities
Justina Alexandroff, a British designer, has developed Faux Flora—artificial flowers intended to assist bees and other pollinators in polluted urban environments where floral scents are diminished by air pollution. This initiative originated during her MA in Material Futures at Central Saint Martins and builds upon Aditi Mishra's PhD work in The Science of Nature, which explores how insects locate flowers. By utilizing parametric design and pollution-resistant scent molecules, Alexandroff collaborated with NICE Labs in Bangalore for scent development. The 3D-printed models incorporate scent within nanocellulose, with plans for ceramic versions in the future. Following her graduation, she advanced the project during a residency at The Mills Fabrica in Hong Kong, aiming to combat biodiversity loss amid the 'insect apocalypse.'
Key facts
- Justina Alexandroff created Faux Flora to assist pollinators struggling with air pollution
- The artificial flowers act as visual and olfactory beacons to guide insects to real blooms
- Design is based on Aditi Mishra's research identifying three key floral traits insects recognize
- Objects feature parametric fractal designs, structural colour iridescence, and pollution-resistant scents
- Project began during Alexandroff's MA in Material Futures at Central Saint Martins
- Development continued during a three-month residency at The Mills Fabrica in Hong Kong
- Alexandroff envisions future ceramic versions that could be watered with 'pollinator perfume'
- The work is positioned within the emerging field of multi-species or interspecies design
Entities
Artists
- Justina Alexandroff
- Aditi Mishra
- Alexandra Daisy Ginsberg
- Tomás Saraceno
Institutions
- Central Saint Martins
- The Science of Nature
- NICE Labs
- The Mills Fabrica
- Dezeen
Locations
- Bangalore
- India
- Hong Kong
- United Kingdom
- London
Sources
- Collater.al —
- Dezeen —