P02: Proposal

“Mass Produced Object” 

 

Project Proposal: 

To create medium scale wind-sock/kite in the shape of a Whale Shark.

The purpose of this object is to act a metaphor for optimism in a video performance with a working title called “I see in you a thousand stars”. In this performance I am dragging the wind-sock through a bleak environment attempting to capture essences of “hope” within the air. Currently within my practice I have been interested in deep ecology, and one of its aspects is to anthropomorphize “more-than humans” as agents for empathy and connectedness. In this performance am borrowing the image of the Whale shark as a vehicle for change. This organism is a keystone species found in tropical waters and is important to carbon sequestration, through massive carbon storage through its mass and recycling nutrients for other marine life.

Kites have a cultural significance in South East Asian cultures, as a symbol for celebration, freedom, and religious beliefs. They are known to connect the heavens with the earth in unity and as a way to share messages to those above. Within my practice I have been consistently attempting to create works that engage with our experiences with the climate crisis and advocating for green social change. Often at times I feel burnout because of the intensity of the situation, and I find myself finding ways to support movements through gentle protests. I use Inflatable media because of their innate quality to be perceived with whimsy and amusement, and I believe that they can create moments of celebration and creating spaces to cultivate resistance. 

The whale shark to me symbolizes reciprocity because of it role in the environment. It consumes small organisms like fish and crustaceans and its nutrient rich waste feeds phytoplankton that also captures carbon through photosynthesis. At the end of its life cycle its body falls into the seafloor creating periods of feast for benthic organisms. 

I believe in times of climate uncertainty looking at keystone species like the whale shark can be inspiring because of their deep importance to nature and creating niche habitats for other life. By celebrating this being through performance, I feel a sense of kinship and empowerment to protect the environment. These sharks are positively benefit all the webs that intersect with it simply by existing, and I think that is beautiful.