Creatures Such As We
Symposium:
- ISEA2017: 23rd International Symposium on Electronic Art
- More presentations from ISEA2017:
Presentation Title:
- Creatures Such As We
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Abstract:
Creatures Such As We is an installation designed to ensure that the mistakes of Western colonization are not repeated as humanity ventures beyond the confines of our planet. By superimposing the latitudinal and longitudinal coordinates of Mars on Earth and placing democratized augmented reality monuments at coordinates corresponding to the landing sites of these spacecraft, Creatures Such As We strives to present a hopeful vision of interplanetary exploration as a force of good. The monuments are not odes to the robotic, microbial and human colonizers, but instead optimistic digital edifices that reflect upon a world united by the need for discovery: existential, personal, and scientific. These monuments are a holistic vision of the unity required in the face of political fragmentation that binds us to a planet facing ecological ruin resulting from human inaction, exploitation, and greed. Creatures Such As We is an ephemeral reminder of what cannot be forgotten as we take our first steps towards becoming bi-planetary, from the dark history of colonization to the immense diversity and interconnectedness of Earth and the ecosystems that define it.