The Orange Ocean

This is an interactive installation combined with illustration to awaken those who blindly pursue living in the metropolis for their dreams and opportunities, ignoring that poor air conditions are eroding their health. My four-year college life was in Beijing, China. And due to the annual monsoon climate, the sand from the northern desert region mixed with dust swept through, causing us to suffer from huge sandstorms. Even if we put on masks for protection, we still inhaled lots of harmful substances which can destroy our lungs. However, it didn’t raise everyone’s vigilance and people mostly chose to ignore or complain only which is also the general state of young people living in big cities today. I used the relationship between the sea and marine creatures to mirror the relationship between the urban environment and people and tried to alarm them by showing the terrible consequences. Surrounding walls, dynamic projection, and sound are all designed to immerse people to this experience. In the box, I installed a mirror on the screen which could reflect human eyes onto the diseased fish. When you look at this orange, torbid sea, the sea is also staring at you. You approach and stand in it, only hearing the wind mingled with sand, beating and disturbing your mind. Then you look at the hole left for you to explore, and you seem to see your ultimate destiny. If we sympathize with the fish in the sea, we might sympathize with ourselves as well, for our same numbness and helplessness.