LEVELS is an interactive urban installation designed to make the hidden impacts of climate change visible. The installation is strategically placed at urban waterfronts reflecting the current view of the water while superimposing potential future landscapes when affected by sea level rise. This juxtaposition serves as a reminder of the gradual yet persistent threats our planet faces.
The first project in my Experimental Design course is about the way design can create the possibility for social change by showing/highlighting things that are hidden by the system in which we live. It's about opening our eyes to something that the system we live in makes seem natural, neutral, or invisible.
The main task in this project will be to produce a detailed proposal for a designed object or experience that serves to reveal what is concealed in our society, provoking dialog or consideration aiming towards social change. This proposal will be accompanied by a prototype the solution.
"Levels" is a unique blend of art and technology. Using transparent LED Screens placed at popular waterfronts or city centers, the installation offers a dual view of the current cityscape and a haunting visualization of the potential submerged future. Accompanying these screens, an interactive multitouch display enables the user to visualize different submersion scenarios based on the sea level rise input.
Optimal sites would be waterfronts, beaches, or central urban locations in cities vulnerable to sea-level rise, such as New York City, Miami, San Francisco, or Venice. These locations, often bustling with local residents and tourists, ensure the message reaches a diverse audience. By choosing places of significance and everyday interaction, this project emphasizes that no location, no matter its historical or cultural importance, is immune to the impacts of climate change.
Upon approaching the installation, viewers first encounter their city as they know it, reflected in real-time on the transparent LED Screens. As they engage with the interactive touch display, the view on the LED screen begins to shift, showing a vision of streets submerged, iconic landmarks drowned, and the life of the city fundamentally altered.
Moreover, the installation integrates a chilling, layered audio of rushing water, the roar of the deep sea, and the sound of someone drowning. The installation aims to be more than a fleeting spectacle. An integrated inundation map, and a 3D visualization of the flooded city on the interactive display offer detailed data, and a scannable QR code which leads the viewer to the Rising Seas Institute donation site encourage actionable steps to combat the crisis.
The goals of this project is three-fold: awareness, education, and action.
1. To promote awareness of the issue, this project both visually and emotionally convey the threat of rising water levels, making the seemingly invisible and often distant concept of climate change more immediate and palpable.
2. This project aims to educate the public by providing real-time data, projections, and scientific research on rising sea levels in an engaging manner.
3. And lastly, this project intends to motivate individuals and communities to take collective steps towards combating climate change by connecting them an organization that works with business and governments to “understand, plan and adapt” to the reality of rising sea levels.