prototyping
Extinction Rebellion
Time: January 27 – February 3
Brief: Engage a diverse audience on the theme of species loss.
Art group: Riezan, Kai, Carol
XR group: Riezan, Jason, Kai, Pat, Ana, Jiayi, Jae, Tonicha, Amber, Sanjana, Carol
This week consisted of us finishing and polishing our ideas. The art group added the idea of a reset button, which has a double meaning: it signifies that the Earth is on the verge of a huge reset and that we have to make a choice. We can either continue acting as we are now, passively observing Earth’s destruction, which will inevitably lead to a reset of this planet, or we reset our own actions to stop this mass annihilation by 2030. It would be placed outside Westminster Abbey as a reminder to the government that they are the ones that must take action.
Reset button prototype.
Kai and Carol also came up with the idea of a mirror that represents how people tend to focus only on themselves, rather than on the world as a whole. The front of the installation would be a giant mirror, representing our selfishness, whereas at the back, there would be animals hidden from our eyes.
Mirror prototype.
We also created models for our previous ideas of animal paintings that would change in the dark, the statues that would reveal the skeletons after being exposed to rain and the poster with removable origami birds.
Prototypes.
During this time, the performance group went to Trafalgar Square on the day of Brexit, as this would enable them to get more attention and the media presence. They dressed up as animals with signs targeting the disappearance of animated cartoon characters. The goal was to test how the public would react to a peaceful performance as well as test the idea with cartoon animals. This experiment resulted in quite a positive outcome. People’s reactions were favourable as the performance was delivered in a peaceful way; many were smiling, cheering, encouraging them and asking about the content. The group’s assumptions regarding animated animals were confirmed since the characters from childhood (e.g. Simba) triggered an emotional response from both adults and children. The media group also recorded a tester video for some shocking fake news with a humorous tone.
