Do You Believe in Plantism?
- Plantism is a fictional religion that sanctifies plants, reimagined as a UX system.
- Using myths, commandments, and rituals, it fosters immersion and value shifts.
- The project explores sustainability through belief and behavioural change.
The Birth of Plantism
We decided to go beyond community-based garden design and instead design an entire religious system. Thus was born a fictional faith that worships plants as sacred beings—Plantism.
This concept was inspired by the MtoP sect, founded in 2018 by Motohiro Hisano in Japan. MtoP served as a sort of “excuse” to survive modern society—an experimental project that humourously subverted social norms. Similarly, Plantism adopts the structure of religion to communicate a message: people must cherish and care for plants.
To construct a system that could function as a religion, we needed to analyse how existing religions are structured. According to Sosis (2019), religion is composed of eight foundational elements: authority, meaning, moral obligation, myth, ritual, sacred, supernatural agents, and taboo. Using this framework, we began to shape the world and practice of Plantism.
Storytelling
Myth: In the beginning were the beings called Dasida, and they created a sacred garden. Within this garden, the world was abundant. Humans, known as PlanBees, lived as loyal pollinators, caring for nature. But as time passed, humankind lost its harmony with nature, and the Earth began to grieve. Now is the time to return and tend to the natural world once more.
Commandments: Then Dasida spoke unto the PlanBees, saying:
“O PlanBees, hearken unto these words. I give unto thee five commandments;
write them upon thy hearts and keep them with diligence:
- See your Seeds around
- Welcome the Rain
- Care for the Green that surrounds you
- Listen to Nature’s sorrow
- Let the roots of ‘Plantism’ spread.”
How Shall It Be Delivered?
As we built the theological foundation of this fictional religion, we also had to consider how to communicate it effectively. We believed that portraying the mythic narrative and the daily practices of the PlanBees—those who live according to the commandments—through visual storytelling would be most impactful.
Thus, we produced an educational video designed to guide new believers into the philosophy and practice of Plantism, transforming them into devoted PlanBees. Within the video, we featured the Beeble—our sacred scripture—and a watering can, a symbolic holy object. These tangible icons served to visually solidify the religious identity of Plantism.
We also experimented with writing a hymn for Plantism and used AI tools to compose a melody. During this process, we discovered Mother Earth’s Plantasia (1976) by Mort Garson—an album composed specifically for plants. The idea that music for plants existed as early as 1976 was surprising and inspiring. The album’s illustrations and gardening tips further enriched our creative direction.
The Plantism Induction Video
"Welcome, new PlanBees. There is a message from the Plants that may lead to abundance. Would you like to hear this gospel?"
Reflection and Steps Forward
This project served as a macro-level UX exploration grounded in systems thinking. We came to understand that the root of change lies not in superficial design, but in transforming beliefs and ways of thinking. Through Plantism, we found that even complex problems could be approached with humour and imagination—inviting broader participation and empathy.
In the future, we hope to develop more tangible expressions of the faith, such as physical Beebles or ritual garments for the clergy. Although we had considered alternative forms of scripture beyond printed paper, time constraints limited our ability to explore this further.
During our final presentation, there was a suggestion that Plantism could also be adapted as educational content for children. Should the opportunity arise again, we would like to explore more specific audiences or contextualise the practice within particular spaces, such as botanical gardens.
Reference
- Bowlby, J. (1969) Attachment and Loss: Volume I. Attachment. New York: Basic Books.
- Forlano, L. (2017) ‘Posthumanism and Design’, She Ji: The Journal of Design, Economics, and Innovation, 3(1), pp. 16–29. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sheji.2017.08.001
- Jenkins, H. (2006) Fans, Bloggers, and Gamers: Exploring Participatory Culture. New York: NYU Press. https://doi.org/10.18574/nyu/9780814743690.001.0001
- Meadows, D.H. (1999) Leverage Points: Places to Intervene in a System. Hartland, VT: The Sustainability Institute.
- Morgan, R.M. and Hunt, S.D. (1994) ‘The Commitment-Trust Theory of Relationship Marketing’, Journal of Marketing, 58(3), pp. 20–38. https://doi.org/10.1177/002224299405800302
- Sosis, R. (2019) ‘The Building Blocks of Religious Systems: Approaching Religion as a Complex Adaptive System’, in Georgiev, G., Smart, J., Flores Martinez, C. and Price, M. (eds.) Evolution, Development and Complexity. Springer Proceedings in Complexity. Cham: Springer, pp. 421–449. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-00075-2_19
- Spooky, 2021. Japanese Parody Religion Exists Only to Give Believers a Reason to Say ‘No’. Oddity Central, 16 November. Available at: https://www.odditycentral.com/news/japanese-parody-religion-exists-only-to-give-believers-a-reason-to-say-no.html [Accessed 17 April 2025].
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