"OUR NATURE"

Background & Materials:

For my senior project, I wanted to make a work that would address the deep ramifications of climate change. I really enjoyed using the Makey Makey in my past art classes and also love making collages, so I decided to use both methods for this project.

 

"Our Nature" is an interactive 18x24" collage of La Jolla Cove that I created using bits of leftover construction paper, origami paper, tin foil, an old trader joe’s bag, and a bottle cap (materials typically considered trash). Each section with aluminum foil in the collage represents each element of nature affected by climate change: water, air, wildlife, and land. These aluminum foil pieces are connected to the alligator clips in the Makey Makey which activates my code in p5js. Within p5js, I uploaded 5 different rotating photographs for each element that show the viewer the harsh realities of climate change. I included a QR code for each photograph which links to different insightful articles addressing the relevant element ex: Scripps Oceanography Article about Dolphin Population decline. 

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I also included sound files which play according to the effects of each element. 

Water (represented by wave) - sounds of metal clinking in the ocean water indicating water pollution

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Air (represented by cloud) - sounds of cars on the freeway to signify the air pollution caused by exhaust

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Wildlife (represented by dolphin) - sounds of anxious dolphins in ocean to indicate their discomfort with their habitat 

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Land (represented by palm trees) - sounds of powerful wind, chaos, screams, and fire burning to connect to the image of the Palisades fire​​

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Concepts:

One of the main conceptual topics I want this project to convey is the irony between creating a beautiful scenic photograph using pieces of trash...the very materials that harm our earth. The collage may look beautiful as a whole at first glance, but the viewer later realizes that the materials used within on their own are not visually pleasing to look at. This ties back to the theme that though our earth may still look beautiful today, the issue of climate change is still a growing, uncomfortable reality that we must accept we are responsible for in order to change our behavior to improve the situation. 

 

The very title of the project, "Our Nature" is meant to be ironic in its double meaning of referencing the nature on earth and human nature. "Our Nature" questions the morality of our human nature when looking at how the developments in civilization, technology, and obsession with a growing economy has cost the well-being and longevity of wildlife and nature on earth. 

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In addition to the thematic themes of the title and materials used, my project most importantly establishes a confrontational interaction with the viewer in which their own efforts and morality regarding this topic are put into question. As the viewer interacts with the trash elements in the collage, they are also forced to acknowledge the alarming photographs, sounds, and articles about the aftermath of climate change that are displayed onto the screen. The purpose of "Our Nature" is to provoke a strong emotional response from each person that communicates how the climate crisis is an emergency that deserves the attention of everyone living on earth. ​

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