Species Encounter: Dive In!
Participatory Installation
Large Screen, video-projection, shapes made of cardboard and recycled plastic.
created in 2014
Santa Cruz Museum of Art and History MAH during GLOW A Festival Of Light, Santa Cruz, October 2014
Installation was also shown at the SubZERO festival in San Jose in June 2014.
Species Encounter: Dive In! is an interactive multimedia installation that comprises a large shadow theater, a series of animal shapes, and a video projection. The public is invited to move the shapes as the video is projected onto the screen from behind.
“Billions of pounds of plastic can be found in our oceans. Around the world, plastic pollution has become a growing plague, clogging our waterways and damaging marine ecosystems. 44 percent of all seabird species, 22 percent of cetaceans, all sea turtle species and a growing list of fish species have been documented with plastic in or around their bodies. Most of what we eat, drink, or use in any way comes packaged in petroleum plastic —a material designed to last forever, yet used for products we then throw away.
Seek out alternatives to the plastic items that you rely on.”
The installation is an allegory for the plastic we consume, which ends up invading seas and oceans, is absorbed and eaten by many marine species, and threatens them. In the installation, the animal shapes of fish (such as lanternfish and opah), sea turtles (such as the leatherback sea turtle and hawksbill turtle), and marine mammals (such as harbor seals, sperm whales, and dolphins) are made from recyclable cardboard. The center of each shape is filled with recycled plastic packaging.
The installation was originally created by Michele Guieu and later became a collaborative work with Drew Detweiler, adding an interactive video component to the project. The projection is generated from drawings and video footage combined to create an ever-changing underwater-scape.
michele guieu 