Statement
As graphic designers, it is our responsibility to address the pressing environmental issues at a time when the severe impacts of climate change are increasingly evident. This collaborative project aims to employ everyday objects as metaphors for the plight of melting glaciers and resonate with the revolutionary effects of the climate emergency through visual language.
The utilization of ordinary objects as an artistic medium intends to draw attention to the interconnectedness between our daily lives and broader environmental challenges. By gradually transforming, melting, destructing, and dissolving these objects into liquids, we aim to confront the audience with the tangible consequences of global warming in a manner that mimics and amplifies the invisible disintegration of glaciers. This symbolic mode of expression visually serves as a reminder of our planet’s vulnerability and emphasizes the urgent need for collective action. The “Ice Climate Effect” interactive technology endeavors to inspire dialogue, raise awareness, and evoke individual responsibility towards ecological preservation. Through transforming commonplace objects into vessels for reflecting on climate-related matters, this project encourages individuals to recognize their own role within both climate emergencies and climate justice.
Reference：Tree Drawings （Concept）
The “Tress Drawings” project undoubtedly explores the intersection of nature, time, and artistic expression in a unique way, as Tim makes the branches the authors of the artistic process, utilising the movement and change inherent in their environment to create intricate drawings that leave specific trajectories. unprecedented way of using branches as active participants in the art-making process. This innovative approach to art offers a new creative perspective that sees ordinary branches as important tools for art-making, utilising their unique properties to depict subtle changes in the natural environment. Therefore, it gives us a new understanding of authorship, and we try to use the chosen tool “ice” as the author itself, and use the special melting properties of ice to present the changes of ice in the current natural environment, is it possible that ice as the author itself is a powerful form of visual expression? Therefore, in the process of making the filter, we extracted the melting process of ice under the effect of time and environment, and this melting process itself is the “invisible” process of glacier melting that we desperately want to magnify.
Reference：Adhocism : the Case for Improvisation (Concept）
“Koestler defines a holon as a subsystem or subassembly which is always both a part and a whole.” This sentence triggered my new thinking on the relationship between the whole and the part. When I tried to substitute this point of view into my thinking, I found that ice itself is a part of the glacier, as well as the whole of various units of water molecules. When ice appears as a part, it can also represent the whole glacier as a metaphor; when ice appears as a whole, it can reflect the influence of external environmental factors on it, so that in the process of melting, it brings us into the urgent situation of climate change, thus amplifying the “invisible” process of glacier melting. Therefore, it also represents that everything is a part of the relevant whole continuum, emphasizing the complexity and interrelatedness of the natural system. In addition, it underscores the importance of understanding the interplay between the individual parts and the whole.
Reference：Calling for a More-Than-Human Politics （Concept）
“And more importantly, a demand on the geo-social: each human activity has to be considered along with the impact it will have on the planet. “The concept of “a demand on the geo-social” urges individuals and societies to assess the environmental impact of every human activity. This necessitates a more environmentally conscious approach that considers the repercussions of human actions on our planet.It emphasizes the need for a comprehensive evaluation of every human action, taking into account its direct and indirect effects on the environment. Furthermore, by emphasizing “each human activity,” it highlights the significance of evaluating even the most ordinary and minute behaviors in daily life, as they are intricately linked to climate issues. This realization prompts us to explore how we can address underlying climate problems through small-scale changes in our everyday lives, thus emphasising the importance of individual action and its possible collective impact on the environment.
Reference：Ways of Being (Concept + Form)
The tool we selected for measuring time was ice, and during the iterative experimentation with this chosen tool, the unique melting properties of ice proved to be highly effective in conveying the temporal scale while directly or indirectly highlighting its association with climate issues. By utilizing this tool to explore and expand its potential, we are not only shaping the tool itself but also influencing our ways of thinking and behavior. This notion aligns with the quote from the book “we shape our tools, and thereafter our tools shape us,” reinforcing my newfound understanding of “tools.” Considering that tools can also impact and transform our behaviors and thought processes, can we harness their power to raise awareness about climate issues?
This concept extends to another tool, the filters, which is widely employed and effectively presented to audiences through visual representations of melting ice properties, and in the process effectively influencing people’s daily behaviours and increasing their awareness of climate issues.
Reference： Conditional Design Workbook (Form)
Conditional design enhances my understanding of the factors that I, as a designer, need to consider in a project. These include incorporating external input (such as filter technology) and considering its influence on the experimental process, as well as employing comprehensible rules (capturing real-life elements) and limitations (melting a single object). By doing so, we can establish a logical and meaningful process that starts from a small entry point to provoke contemplation about larger problems, enabling participants to comprehend and engage with it effectively (through the use of filters). This design approach emphasizes the significance of the process rather than solely focusing on the final product or outcome.
“The most important aspects of a process are time, relationship, and change. The process yields formations rather than fixed forms.” It underscores the dynamic and adaptable nature of the design process while highlighting designers’ attention towards managing time, relationships, and changes. Consequently, when controlling the melting of an individual object in our study, we prioritize ensuring reasonable melting times for objects along with adhering to morphological transformation rules to achieve optimal visual effects. Furthermore, we also consider how digital filters impact participants by examining their breadth and application platforms.
Reference：Earth Speakr (Form)
In the context of the relationship between new technology and the environment, we are dedicated to integrating interactive technology into our project. Throughout this process, we have discovered that the “Earth Speakr” initiative aims to engage the public in discussions surrounding environmental issues and climate change by creating an interactive platform utilizing technology, enabling audiences to actively participate in environmental matters. This has prompted us to reflect upon the impact of human behavior on our surroundings. The ability to animate lifeless objects can be metaphorically interpreted as symbolizing how human actions affect the environment. It encourages individuals to contemplate how their choices and behaviors contribute towards promoting conversations about environmental sustainability. This aspect has greatly benefitted our research endeavors. How can we advocate for environmental concerns? Can we draw attention to glacier melting and its implications for climate change by involving audiences in a simulated experience of everyday object dissolution? By incorporating digital filter effects and providing physical special glasses accessible to all, we enable audiences’ direct or indirect participation in these activities. Consequently, during our experimentation phase, enhancing audience engagement and interactivity while expanding communication channels have become pivotal considerations.
Reference
Bridle, J. (2022). Ways of Being. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, pp.17–19.
Eliasson, O. (2020). Earth Speakr. Available at: https://earthspeakr.art/en/about/ [Accessed 18 Feb. 2024].
Jencks, C.A. and Silver, N. (2013). Adhocism : the Case for Improvisation. London [Etc.] the Mit Press, pp.38–53.
Knowles, T. (2005). Tree Drawings. Available at:
https://www.cabinetmagazine.org/issues/28/knowles.php [Accessed 18 Feb. 2024].
Maurer, L., Edo Paulus, Puckey, J. and Roel Wouters (2013). Conditional Design Workbook. Amsterdam: Valiz, pp.ii–xiv.
Superflux. (2020). Calling for a More-Than-Human Politics. [online] Available at: https://superflux.in/index.php/calling-for-a-more-than-human-politics/#.