The Canadian Film Centre’s Habitat New Media Lab and the SEED Collective have developed a public interactive art installation which invites participants to use their cell phones to plant “seeds” to grow a virtual forest.

By dialing a particular number, they will be given a “seed” to grow using the keypads of their phones. With each punch of the keypad, audiences can grow their seeds, choose the type of trees they want to plant, and change their texture and colour.

"The ultimate goal of this evolving project is to buy a virtual tree seedling to plant in this installation; your cell phone provider will bill you, and the proceeds will be used to reforest certain endangered portions of our planet," explained Napoleon Brousseau, from the SEED Collective.

According to Habitat, the work is only the beginning of a larger project that will include new software tools, collaborations with other institutions and the creation of a new type of art collective dedicated to environmental interventions.

This year's deadline for application will be May 31, 2006.