ABYSSAL
\ ə-ˈbi-səl \
1: depths or bottom of the ocean
2 : extensive chasms
3 : an unfathomable sense
4 : the rifts between people
\ ə-ˈbi-səl \
1: depths or bottom of the ocean
2 : extensive chasms
3 : an unfathomable sense
4 : the rifts between people
January 2022 - June 2022
6 months
ABYSSAL is a multi-sensory art installation focused on immersing one in the deep ocean environment. With an aim to foster curiosity and empathy for ocean ecosystems, ABYSSAL initiates a personal encounter with the habitat of deep zone flora and fauna. The installation uses video projections, sculptures, and sound to form a layered experience, enveloping guests in a new world.
The Problem
We noticed most conservation efforts tend to focus on charismatic megafauna, using flagship species such as otters, puffins, and traditionally more “appealing” animals as ways to get people to empathize with marine life.
Through ABYSSAL, We wanted to focus on the actual environment and underrepresented creatures that don’t have that conventional charm and are often left out of the conversation. With this in mind, we wanted our project to be interactive and hands-on in a multiple ways, providing different opportunities to generate empathy through organic and lived experiences.
Values & Goals
• A call to action for the preservation of non-charismatic aquatic life
• Create a bridge between human interaction and deep sea environments, generating empathy through immersion
• Create an engaging and memorable experience for guests through multi-sensory elements
• Incorporate accessibility so that the installation can be enjoyed by all
Success Metrics
1. It improves long-term empathy for aquatic wildlife (Measurable through surveying before and after visiting the installation)
2. Guests are immersed in a true aquatic experience (Measurable through observing visitor interaction and feedback)
3. Our installation is entertaining for guests (Measurable through observing visitor interaction and feedback)
Ethnographic Research
We visited the Seattle Aquarium to place ourselves in a setting of similar users to visit our installation. Here are the observations and problem areas we had noted:
1. The primary visitors were groups with younger children. There were not many young adults and/or teens who are the most prevalent activists towards conservation.
2. The aquarium is successful in generating empathy for "flagship" aquatic creatures such as seals and otters. Visitors spent the majority of their time watching these animals play and interact with their environments.
3. The key areas for improvement were lack of engaging activities and emphasis on conservation methods. There were little to no interactive activities and conservation information was simply posted on signs beside each exhibit.
Formative Interviews
To inform our concept and structure of ABYSSAL, we conducted several unstructured and semi-structured interviews with a range of people, from experienced installation artists like Ginny Ruffner and Anida Yoeu Ali, to 5 IMD alums across two different cohorts and capstone projects (Lumen and PRISM), to a retired oceanographer Melinda Ferguson.
Each interview has collectively helped us to conceptualize the project, putting the overall process into perspective. The responses were insightful and informed the changes we made. The most helpful feedback included advice to focus on the visual impact through the immersive projections, adjusting the visual direction to include plankton, and the push for early development in-person to leave ample time for troubleshooting issues. As we work through the development phase, user testing will be the next step for refining based on user input.
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Idea #1 : Luminescence of the Reef ❌
Climbable coral-like structures in a room with projected images, creating an ambient deep-ocean habitat. The coral will feature thermochromic pigment to simulate coral bleaching upon human contact and AR targets embedded into the structure for hands-on digital interactions.
Pros
• Creates a defined space and learning environment for kids through fun interactions
• Implements augmented reality as a form of interaction
• Blatantly pushes for conservation with the physical interaction with thermochromic pigment turning the "coral" white
• Generates empathy by simulating a habitat and a creature’s natural behaviors and gives individuals the means to interact with unfamiliar organisms.
Cons
• The key component is a climbable structure which limits accessibility
• Dark lighting and AR targets do not mix well together
• We will face cost/budget limitations as this it will be fully student funded
• This is strongly geared towards younger kids and our installation will be displayed on-campus
Idea #2 : ABYSSAL ✔️
Tank structure as the surface of a projector animation with a kelp forest made of recycled paper inside, imitating the look of an aquarium. The internal kelp forest will feature motion reactive lighting to simulate bioluminescent plankton. The structure is placed in a dark room with ambient audio to create a deep sea environment.
Pros
• Made almost entirely off of recycled/donated materials
• Creates a fully immersive and multi-sensory experience through a defined space that simulates the deep sea environment
• All elements can be easily customized and updated
• Generates empathy for non-charismatic flora and fauna by transporting users directly into their habitat
Cons
• As an art installation, the experience is up for user interpretation and it may not have a strong push for conservation
• Being physical installation, we have to ensure that it can be safely enjoyed during the COVID-19 pandemic
The Decision
After many in-class feedback sessions and what we learned through our formative interviews, we did a full 360 from Luminescence of the Reef to ABYSSAL as it held strong in our values and acceptable cons that do not take away from the installation's overall experience.
Ultimately, Luminescence of the Reef was a very optimistic idea that we would not be able to complete within our timeline and we would not be able to overcome the cons without taking important items away from the initial idea.
Prototyping and Development
With consideration for the environment, Aqua Children prominently featured recycled materials. The garlands were initially origami fish modeled after senbazuru, or Japanese paper cranes. As the building process progressed, the final shape of the garlands was changed so that they were more voluminous and showed off the varied texture of the team’s materials. By crumpling the papers versus folding them, we were able to save time and give the garlands a more kelp-like feel and appearance and volume. In the end, our final installation featured 62 kelp garlands.
The Build
ABYSSAL’s primary structure consists of a large PVC tank displaying animated video projections of the illustrated deep sea. Within the pitch darkness of the room, the deep blue hues of the projection cause the structure to glow as particles of bioluminescence and stylized plankton drift within the tank’s boundaries. Ambient music accompanies this visual experience, which is layered with additional sounds that can be heard from the inside of the tank sculpture, which is enterable through an open side facing the entrance of the room itself.
The inside of the tank is filled with recycled paper sculptures resembling kelp, hanging from the ceiling in multiple clusters to create a dense forest environment. RGB LED lights are contained within many of the kelp’s groupings, which react to motion as one enters in glitters and glows to reflect the agency that plankton display within their habitat through their natural bioluminescence.
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ABYSSAL’s first public showing took place on May 20-21, 2022 at the University of Washington, Bothell. The open experience of the space itself worked to initiate conversation between the team and the steady stream of guests themselves, adding additional voices to the full list of contributors that made ABYSSAL possible in the first place. The team plans on continuing to iterate upon the space, taking it further into the deep.
Feedback
I was not completely satisficed with these designs, and collected feedback from my team and peers on what can be improved to make these posters more inviting. Here is what I noted:
1. Keep it consistent - The different backgrounds and styles take away from the installation being advertised and may be confusing to guests who may think these are all for separate events
2. Too wordy - The posters have too much information that can cause disinterest in the exhibit through general assumptions
3. We need more - Instead of only 8.5"x11" posters, there should be a greater variety in the marketing package overall
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To define our level of success, we revisited the success metrics from our planning stage. A successful product would solve the problem but also account for our intended values and goals.
1. Did our installation improve long-term empathy for aquatic wildlife?
Many of the guests who visited ABYSSAL had prior knowledge of the importance of conservation before their experience; however, it was noted that this installation can prove to be an eye opener for those who may not be so familiar such as children. We had only displayed our installation for a few hours over a few days, so we were not able to generate as much feedback as hoped. Sometime in the future, my team and I wanted to inquire to display ABYSSAL once more as an art installation. With a longer installation in a more popular location (such as the Museum of Museums), we will be able to reach a larger and more diverse audience.
2. Did our installation immerse guests into a true aquatic experience?
Through our Art Installation weekend and Capstone Exhibition we were able to confirm this! The majority of our feedback mentioned how effectively the multi-sensory elements within installation worked together to simulate a deep sea environment. The only pushback was the size of the tank structure itself. If we were able to make it larger or a straight walk-through path, then guests would be able to spend more time within the kelp forest.
3. Was our is entertaining for guests?
Absolutely! It was so great to watch guests walking in and out of and interacting with the installation's elements and coming back to my team to express how much they enjoyed their experience. Some who had visited the initial Art Installation weekend returned for the Capstone Exhibition as well. Although, we had redesigned the exhibit to cater to a young adult/teen audience, there were a few children around the ages of 4-7 who spent their time playing in the garlands and with the projections!