Project
Exhibition of Climate Fiction
ABOUT
The Exhibition of Climate Fiction is a conceptual class project I collaborated on with Vicky Gao that bridges climate fiction literature and museum exhibits. Aiming for an ultimate increase in public climate engagement and awareness, we proposed a conceptual exhibit design that visualizes climate change and its projected future possibilities depicted by a cohort of climate fiction authors and filmmakers. The exhibition implements existing climate change exhibitions with narrative emotional features and facilitates climate communication in a learning-friendly environment, especially for younger audiences.
Role
Designer
SKILL
Result
Received A+ for both literature review work behind the project and the creative design itself.
YEAR
2022
The Challenge
Few existing museum practices have visualized the possible futures affected by climate change environmentally and socially. Current climate exhibits tend to be text-heavy, leading to a lack of playfulness and emotional resonance. Additionally, while most exhibits display existing technology and solutions, few informed what individuals could contribute within their own capacities in daily life, causing the public illusion that climate change is far from their responsibility.
Design Process
We created a multi-sensory immersive experience combining climate science with imaginative futures. By embedding climate knowledge within compelling narratives from fiction and designing hands-on interactions, we made complex climate concepts more accessible and emotionally engaging than traditional didactic displays.
The exhibition is divided into 6 themes (Rising Sea Levels, Droughts & Heat Waves, Storms & Hurricanes, Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Resource Depletion, and Deforestation & Loss of Biodiversity), each featuring representative climate fiction works through images, video clips, and quotes. Key interactive highlights include a digital sculpture of Lauren Olamina from Octavia Butler's Parable of the Sower that visitors can interact with to hear her experiences, and a 3D projection-mapped landscape of New York City where four visitors collaborate on screens to stop simulated sea level rise. These narrative-driven touchpoints create a collaborative learning atmosphere that welcomes discussion and teaches how visitors can contribute to climate change mitigation in their daily practices.
Full experience here.
