Genesis — Georgina Chiou

3D Mockup

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Overview

Genesis is a multimedia installation that presents three, ever-evolving depictions of post-human Earth. But, unlike the dreadful wastelands we’ve come to associate with humanity’s wake, these landscapes are teeming with life, relentlessly inventing new versions of themselves as the human legacy fades away. In proposing a future that is instead characterized by nature’s formidable resilience, Genesis serves as a critique of the anthropocentric dynamic between Earth and man. This project began as a way for me to continue exploring the narrative capabilities of hybrid environments. But I later had to adapt it for a digital exhibition, which provided valuable insight into the different qualities of digital and physical spaces. Created for my senior thesis.

Tools: Adobe AfterEffects, Photoshop, Unity (C#), TouchDesigner

Role: Solo Project, Senior Thesis

Installation Structure

The installation is made up of three large screens, suspended in a triangular formation. Projected onto each one is a unique landscape of post-human Earth, which slowly evolves throughout the exhibition. Below the screens, 24 ultrasonic distance sensors line the perimeter of the installation floor. The closer a guest stands to the installation, the faster the landscapes evolve. Inside the sensor array stands a mesh-wire sculpture of man, holding the forbidden fruit, forced to look up at the world that has moved on without them.

Creating Post-Human Landscapes

Left: An acidic ocean that becomes home to colorful, acidophilic microbes. Center: A melting glacier that begins to expose ancient land surfaces. Right: A radiation-rich forest that hosts a novel array of flora

Each landscape is an algorithmically-compiled collage of different colors, textures, and images from natural elements, all of which come together to create a narrative. I only pulled from pre-existing images because, given the topic of this installation, it didn't feel right for me to create these depictions from scratch.

This multimedia installation presents three speculative depictions of a post-human Earth. These landscapes are informed by existing knowledge of the effects of climate change and human activity-- particularly, our greatest fears. They are all based on common apocalyptic benchmarks (such as the ocean's increasing CO2 levels, melting glaciers, and nuclear fallout). But, instead of telling a bleak story from the human perspective, it tells a story from the Earth's perspective. This is a story of resilience, change, and beauty.

As for the visual narratives, having each landscape cycle through different design variations represents the realm of possibility when it comes to Earth’s future. Its image/likeness is constantly changing to reflect how the future is still very fluid, and the rate of evolution increases with guest proximity to mirror the impact of our actions. I also incorporated a “floating mountain” look to each landscape has in order to isolate these images from any geographical attachments that we might project on them.

Theoretical Framework

Excerpt from my final paper:

“In many corners of Western culture, the dynamic between humans and Earth has been consistently plagued by anthropocentrism, from early biblical views to modern secular ones.

The Book of Genesis instructed the first man to “fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over...every living thing that moves on the earth,” positioning humankind as ruling figures over nature. Centuries later, these anthropocentric undertones continue to persist in the conversation around climate change, which often casts Earth as a victim that must be “saved” both from and by mankind.

Of course, this newly-found compassion for the natural environment is not a bad thing. However, it rests on the belief that Earth’s fate lies in the hands of human agendas, which indicates that the canonical power dynamic remains unchanged. And it will be nearly impossible to establish a lasting symbiotic relationship with Earth without confronting our own anthropocentrism.

Genesis critiques this anthropocentric dynamic by proposing an alternative narrative, one that instead champions Earth’s own agenda of change and resilience. It begins by asking-- does the Earth really end with us? It’s likely that, long after humans are gone, the planet will continue evolving as it has for the past 4 billion years. So, what might that look like? How can we use what we know to imagine this alternative narrative?

This multimedia installation presents three speculative depictions of Earth's post-human landscapes. These depictions are algorithmically-compiled collages of natural elements, which evolve throughout the exhibition. But rather than playing into the dark, dead wastelands that we associate with humanity’s wake, these landscapes are teeming with beauty and life, relentlessly inventing new versions of themselves as the human legacy fades away. It is a testament to Earth’s own agenda.

In showing the genesis that follows human extinction, Genesis encourages viewers to reconsider how they view the world around them.”

Outcome

Though originally designed for a physical exhibition, the impact of COVID-19 changed these plans and I quickly had to adapt this for a digital space. I recreated the exhibition in Unity, replacing the physical sensors with distance vectors, integrating TouchDesigner with a plug-in, and implementing WASD + mouse navigation so users could explore the virtual space in first person. I built it as a WebGL project, which allowed it to be run on a web page for the digital exhibition.

While it wasn't what I expected, adapting a physical installation into a virtual space provided unique insight into the latent qualities of each platform. The sense of scale was lost to the size of the viewer's computer screen, while the virtual environment lent a feeling of introspective isolation. Things that worked in the physical prototype were not as impactful in the digital experience, so I view this experience as a testament to the importance of medium.