Brief
For the Experiential Design unit assessment, design and create an impactful activation project based on the colour blue. The activation, designed to be disruptive, interventionist, or experiential in nature, will unfold in a predefined space on campus.
Solution
Coastal Alchemy is an immersive experience that revolves around the impact of global warming on oceans. This is achieved through remixing traditional Cyanotype prints and transforming them into a motion graphic using Adobe After Effects and Premier Pro.
About Cyanotype
Cyanotype is a photographic printing process that involves laying an object or photograph on top of a paper coated with a solution made of iron salts, then exposing it under sunlight, and finally rinsing it with water. This process creates prints with a distinct white and blue colour.
Inspiration and Story Ideation
I conceptualized Coastal Alchemy after being inspired by a documentary on the detrimental impact of global warming on the seafood industry. The theme of Coastal Alchemy revolves around reflecting on humanity's greed and its repercussions on nature, emphasizing the cyclical nature of our actions, ultimately causing harm to ourselves.
Research
Highlighting human overconsumption, I curated images from 1940s-1950s travel and vacation materials, a zenith of consumerist culture. These graphics formed a collage-style motion graphic, drawing inspiration from works like
"Outer Space | Collage Animation" by sabstabs and "Reality (Collage Animation)" by amier firdaus on YouTube, serving as benchmarks for crafting my collage motion graphic piece.
"Outer Space | Collage Animation" by sabstabs and "Reality (Collage Animation)" by amier firdaus on YouTube, serving as benchmarks for crafting my collage motion graphic piece.
Process
I used Cyanotype printing to infuse every element of the motion graphic with a blue hue. The resulting prints were brought into Photoshop for editing and transformed into a motion graphic using After Effects and Premier Pro.
This immersive experience involves sitting on a deck chair that is placed on top of a piece of Cyanotype-printed linen. After putting on the provided headphones, sit back as the motion graphic plays on top of the piece of linen.
