Liquid Logic
5th Year, 2026, Julie Kress
Situated at the Fork of the Rivers as part of IJAMS, my garden uses water as an active system of control. It guides and redirects how people interact with nature by managing water and using machines. This shapes movement, sensory engagement, and emotional experiences.
This project started with an interest in how AI can become more than just a tool; it can be a creative partner. By beginning with a written description, we utilized AI to build a machine that does not just sit in a landscape but actively contributes to shaping it. The machine acts as a bridge between the environment and the people who pass through it, turning abstract ideas into physical effects. Water is the main medium for the influence. Its behavior is managed to create different spatial and emotional experiences across the site.
In one area, a gentle mist creates a calm and immersive setting that invites people in. In another area, rushing water from controlled flooding generates a sense of urgency and danger, leading people to avoid that space and change their path. These contrasting conditions create a dynamic interplay that guides movement without rigid boundaries or clear instructions. A key idea behind these designs these designs is a shift in thinking.
Tree Containment - No Flooding
Tree Containment - Flooding
Sunflower Maze - No Misting
Sunflower Maze - Misting (Purple)
Instead of focusing on a human-centered experience, the project examines how the machine itself might “understand” and notice its impact on the environment. This change in perspective allows the machine to operate not just as a tool but as a system with its own internal logic. It can interpret, respond to, and reshape the site in ways that might not align with human instincts.
Ultimately, this work find its place between control and atmosphere, intention, and emergence. It looks at how a system built from language can grow into a mechanism that influences behavior. It also show how water, both subtle and powerful, can express boundaries, attraction, and movement. In doing this, the project questions the traditional roles of designer, machine, and landscape. suggesting a more shared and negotiated approach to authorship.
Chunk Animations
Site Animation
Physical Models
