Exploring the Intersection of Plants, Disability, and Technology Through Interactive Design
Sylvia Janicki is reevaluating what it means to design for the future. A PhD candidate at Georgia Tech’s Digital Media Program with a background in landscape architecture, Janicki’s work bridges the gap between human-computer interaction (HCI), disability theory, and environmental design. Part of Noura Howell’s Future Feelings Lab here in TSRB, Janicki’s most recent research explores how technology can foster deeper connections between humans, plants, and their histories, all while challenging traditional notions of accessibility and sustainability.
From Landscape Architecture to Human-Computer Interaction
Janicki’s journey into this unique intersection of fields began with her studies in landscape architecture. After earning her bachelor’s degree in Wisconsin and her master’s in Washington, she worked as a landscape designer and later as a visual designer and researcher in Taiwan. However, she felt constrained by the industry's corporate nature. “I felt limited by clients, budgets, and the corporate structure,” she recalls. I wanted to explore how technologies can help us reorient our environmental relations, starting from the experiences of people with disabilities.”
Her interest in disability and accessibility deepened after she contracted Lyme disease. This chronic illness left her with a newfound sensitivity to environmental toxins and a desire to understand how design could better accommodate fluctuating health conditions. “Chronic illness is dynamic,” she explains. “It’s not about fixing the body–it’s about understanding and rethinking our systems and social practices around access while holding space for experiences of illness.”
Crip Theory & More-Than-Human Design
Janicki’s work is deeply influenced by Crip Theory, a framework that builds knowledge from the lived experiences of disability. “Crip Theory asks, ‘How do we build access?’” she says. “It’s about recognizing that disability isn’t just a medical issue—it’s a social and environmental one too.”
Her research also draws on more-than-human design, which challenges human-centered approaches by considering the agency of non-human entities, such as plants, animals, and ecosystems. “More-than-human design critiques the flattening of human differences and the universalizing of relationships with non-human others,” Janicki explains. “It’s about recognizing the complex, messy, and often violent histories that shape our interactions with the environment.”
Sensing Bodies: An Interactive Installation
One of Janicki’s most notable projects is Sensing Bodies. This interactive art installation explores the relationships between humans and plants through the use of biosensors, LED displays, and tangible interactions. The installation, which has been exhibited in Atlanta, Puebla, and London, invited participants to engage with plants tied to local histories. In Atlanta, Janicki featured indigo, tobacco, and rice—species deeply connected to the colonial histories and legacies of slavery in the U.S. South. In Puebla, Sensing Bodies spotlighted plants entangled with colonial extractions of local forest ecologies, including the chocolate cosmos, a local plant with a chocolate-like scent originally native to Mexican forests but now extinct in the wild, and scarlet sage, a non-native plant classified as "invasive" in some regions but often cultivated for its aesthetic and medicinal qualities. In London, the exhibit focused on themes of reproduction and featured celosia, a plant used in traditional medicine to support menstruation; fennel, which aids lactation; and chamomile, known for its calming properties and historical use in herbal remedies. Each location’s selections reflected the region's unique environmental and cultural histories.
“The installation probes an intimacy that elicits reflection,” Janicki says. “It’s about connecting people to the plants and their histories.” Participants interact with the plants through touch, breath, and proximity, with biosensors capturing the reciprocal relationships between human and plant bodies. The data is then visualized through LED lights, creating a dynamic display that shifts as participants engage with the installation.
One participant described the experience as “amazing,” noting how the plant responded to their touch, creating a sense of closeness. Another remarked on the ability to “sense my impact” through breathing or touching the plants. These interactions open new possibilities for understanding biodata, not as objective measurements but as situated and relational.
Disability, Chronic Illness, and Environmental Sensitivity
Janicki’s personal experiences with chronic illness have profoundly shaped her approach to design. “Living with a chronic illness fosters unique relationships with more-than-human entities and the environment,” she says. “The body senses differently—it’s more attuned to pollution, toxicity, and the subtle environmental changes.”
This sensitivity is reflected in her work, which often challenges the notion of purity in design. “Disability scholars have critiqued the idea of ‘purifying’ environments or bodies,” Janicki explains. “We must embrace the messiness of multi-species relationships and recognize that health and sustainability are deeply interconnected.”
In one instance, Janicki’s installation resisted the sterile norms of exhibition spaces. When her project was relocated outdoors due to a “no soil” policy, the surrounding landscape became an integral part of the exhibit, merging with the plants to create a more profound environmental connection. “It was a beautiful accident,” she says. “The messiness of the outdoors added depth to the experience.”
Janicki’s work also highlights the importance of adaptation in design. “Failures and breakdowns are inevitable, especially when working with living materials,” she says. “But these moments can open up new possibilities and meanings.”
When the tobacco plant in her installation began to wilt due to the voltage from an EMG sensor, Janicki had to adapt by repositioning the sensor onto a 'sacrificial leaf' to keep the plant alive. This act of care and adjustment mirrors the ways people with chronic illnesses navigate their environments, constantly adapting to changing conditions. Beyond this, the installation required regular maintenance, such as adjusting sensors and watering the plants, which further emphasized the ongoing labor of care in both design and chronic illness.
“Adaptation is a strategy for responding to uncertainty,” Janicki says. “It allows us to live in the ‘in between,’ navigating the tensions between what is controllable and what is not and balancing the present with the future.”
Looking Ahead
Janicki’s work challenges designers, technologists, and policymakers to reconsider their approach to accessibility and sustainability. “We need to design for interdependence,” she says. That means recognizing that our well-being is tied to the well-being of the environment and the more-than-human world.”
As she continues her research, Janicki hopes to inspire others to consider the intersections of disability, technology, and environmental justice. “Disability is a source of insight,” she says. “It can open us to new ways of designing and collaborating for a more inclusive and sustainable future.”
References
Sensing Bodies: Engaging Postcolonial Histories through More-than-Human Interactions