INTERACTIVE ART SEA ICE DECLINE
This is a project to visualize chosen scientific data through any art form or medium.
The data I chose is the Arctic Sea Ice Extent (Area of ocean with at least 15% sea ice) from the National Snow and Ice Data Center. More specifically, I picked the lowest points of three different years, which are 2012, 2014, and 2018.
This art piece was selected by the course professor and did a photography record.
All parts are made by myself including the plastic containers, wood chairs and the burnt marks.
*For demonstration purpose, only 1 stool contains blue water.
Data visualization can be a strong and straightforward artform to show a fact to the public. And in this interactive art, I was aiming to have audiences not only know about the fact but to experience the result of what sea ice decline means to our environment.
Therefore, “The Stool Experience” was created. It's a set of three wooden stools with different size holes on top, alongside plastic boxes with blue water on the inside.
The purpose is to have audiences sit on each stool and to experience the fear from the possibility of slipping into the hole and dipping into the blue water. By doing so, it's an imitation of how a polar bear would feel about sea ice decrease when they are fearfully holding onto the edge of the melting icecaps.
The different hole sizes correspond to the sea ice decline data, which means the bigger the hole is, the situation is more serious. The specific data was also carved on the lower corner of the stool as a strong memory point.
Plastic board
Transform into plastic container
Test if the water will leak