INTERACTIVE ART
INFLATABLE
WHALE FALL
for Adidas Originals
COMMERCIAL INSTALLATION · GROUP PROJECT · 6 - MONTH
Sustainability is a cycle. For this project, artists collaborate with Adidas Originals to design art installations that provoke environmental - friendliness.
INTRODUCTION
WORK DISTRIBUTION
The participants were separated into groups, each collaborated for coherent designs pieces. Groups were assigned theme colors, and my group was pink. We created a center piece and tie other pieces together. Because of my previous experience with inflatables, I was to lead the construction of the main structure.
DESIGN OPPORTUNITY
Adidas’ Stan Academia invited young artists and designers all across China to publicize sustainability. Artists are provided with defected Adidas products to create fashion design pieces or art installations. A final exhibition was held in TX Huaihai, a modern and well-known shopping center in Shanghai.
CENTRAL BELIEF
My personal belief that guided me through this project is the truthfulness of sustainability. In fact, many brands are taking advantage of this positive brand image, and do what is so called “green wash.” Hence, it is important to me that my project is truly meaningful and inspiring rather than touching surface.
CONCEPT DEVELOPMENT
To relate sustainability with the color of pink, my team found inspiration from whale fall. Besides its immediate organic impression, whale fall and sustainability are similar in their characteristics as cycles. During a whale fall, as the giant gets to the end of its life, countless lives rise and nurture from it. Similarly, when a product is disposed properly and reinnovated, infinite possibilities rise from it. As the defected pieces of clothing are reinterpreted by artists, they are no longer wastes but become art pieces.
MATERIAL CHOICE
Both the inflatable piece and my individual piece had the materials as the key element.
For the inflable, we chose TPU instead of PVC because it is 100% biodegradable. The semi-transparent material made it mysterious while being able to use as a projection wall which can be seen both sides.
My individual piece, two mattresses and four pillows, were made out of fabric debris being wrapped by POF heat shrinkable film. POF is recyclable, while providing imagery of plastic suffocating organic muscle.
TEAM OVERVIEW
When the team put all the pieces together, an interactive theater formed.
While some teammates made physical work, we also created digital art that was projected on the dome. The audiences were invited to enter this space, lay down on the mattresses, and enjoy the animation being projected.
In addition, there were also interactive installations to play with. These pieces would react to human actions, and thus added liveliness to the whole environment, and made the imagery of whale fall appropriate.
