Throughout her work and studies surrounding environmental policy, Zhaniya Korpebayeva noticed one thing: calls to end plastic waste, shut down factories, and conserve nature usually came from a place of fear. While that is a reasonable reaction, Zhaniya and Ayazhan felt something crucial was missing - the love and wonder they had felt toward nature as children.

Desiring to rekindle that emotional connection, they dedicated their Interactive Media capstone project to creating a meditative space centered on the endangered flowers they grew up learning about, surrounded by traditional Kazakh music and mirrored floors designed to immerse the visitor in the imagined, shared biosystem.

“We picked different endangered or extinct flowers that are native to Kazakhstan and focused on how they are assembled to create our sculptures and physical forms,” said Zhaniya. “We really wanted to create a physical space where you can actually touch the petals and flowers and interact with them.”

These flowers are taken from Kazakhstan’s “red book,” a well-known collection of extinct or endangered plants and fauna native to the country that every school child is taught about. Even though it is common knowledge that these plants should not be picked or disturbed, just like anywhere else in the world, there are people who enter protected nature reserves to pick or photograph rare flowers like trophies without realizing the harmful impact their footprints and physical presence has on the sensitive flora.

The installation also includes interactive projections. One projection of various flowers is broken down when a motion sensor picks up intense movement from a visitor, in an attempt to discourage aggression towards the flowers and invite visitors to slow down within the space.

“The emotions we saw in [the children who attended] were exactly what we wanted to see,” said Zhaniya. “This childlike wonder - they were touching everything, but they were also really careful because they knew that it’s fragile.”

Through traditional music played on kobyz and dombra instruments and a space decorated by nature-inspired Kazakh folk tales, “Rooted Realms” not only highlights the beauty of Kazakhstan’s flora but also links it to the roots of Kazakh history and culture.

“Recalling those nights when my grandmother was reading those stories to me and knowing those fairy tales, I can imagine them happening in this space.”