BLOSSOM Interactive is coming soon!

BLOSSOM Interactive is a 2016 PennPraxis Social Impact project aimed at raising much-needed funds and awareness around food security and hunger in the Philadelphia region. The team behind BLOSSOM is building a large-scale kinetic sculpture that "blooms" with input from passers by, to be unveiled on the Penn campus this fall.

The team includes Jono Sanders and Philip Chang, both of the Integrated Product Design program, and Sarai Williams, a dual degree candidate in City and Regional Planning and Landscape Architecture at PennDesign. The team started the construction of the BLOSSOM Interactive sculpture at the Pennovation Center, testing the materials and electronics involved. The team will continue fabrication through the summer to be ready for the official unveiling or "Bloom" in September 2016.

The team was successful in securing several nonprofit partners at the forefront of tackling the issue of healthy food access in Philadelphia: Broad Street Ministry, Philabundance, Greater Philadelphia Coalition Against Hunger, and The Food Trust. The BLOSSOM team will continue to work with these partners throughout the project. Social media posts tagging @blossominteractive will result in donations made to these organizations.

The team is currently in the process of finding corporate sponsors to back the philanthropic portion of our project in hopes of raising $20,000 to divide between nonprofit partners at the end of the BLOSSOM Interactive installation.

To join the conversation and be a part of the efforts to increase awareness around issues of food security and hunger in Philadelphia, please follow @blossominteractive on Instagram & Twitter!