Kiki's Dream: a touching reflection on ecological conservation and human responsibility

"Kiki's Dream" is a comprehensive interactive projection project created by a team of students from the School of Film and TV Arts at Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University, specializing in BA Digital Media Arts. The project consists of physical models, interactive devices, and projected images. Under the guidance of Professor Fang Liu, it was completed collaboratively by team leader Liwen Zhang and team members Yuanlu Lv, Jingxiao Pan, Caiwei Peng, and Jianchi Yin.

In this creative and emotionally charged art project, the last artificially bred Baiji dolphin in the world, Kiki, is presented in the form of a physical model before the audience. The Baiji dolphin, a species declared functionally extinct, symbolizes humans' destruction and neglect of the ecological environment. The project aims to evoke the audience's attention and reflection on the environmental climate and endangered species protection by creating an immersive experience.

The team members hope that through Kiki's story, the audience can gain a deeper understanding of the importance of ecological conservation, thereby eliciting more resonance and action.

During the project, the audience will enter Kiki's "fantasy world" to experience a "look back" before the extinction of species. Audiences will follow the perspective of the Yangtze River's indigenous Baiji dolphin, witnessing and feeling the environmental changes from ancient times to the present through her eyes. Subsequently, the presentation of the "real world" will reveal the damage caused by human activities and industrialization to the Baiji dolphin through shocking sounds and visuals, allowing the audience to understand the destruction of the ecological environment by humans deeply.

"The contrast between Kiki's romantic 'fantasy world' and the cruel 'real world' is our unique design," explained team member Pan Jingxiao.

"Instead of simply preaching slogans like 'there is only one Baiji dolphin left in the world, we must protect it,' accompanying the audience through Kiki's vicissitudes and transformations from a first-person perspective can make the audience empathize more with the plight of the real Baiji dolphins and make them feel more involved."

Referring to one of the meticulously designed highlights of the project—the funeral of the Baiji dolphin—Pan Jingxiao said, "We hope that the audience can visually experience their emotions and bid farewell to the last Baiji dolphin in a tangible way."

Using an "Arduino" development kit combined with "Touch Designer," project members designed an interactive table offering flowers. When prompted, the audience places flowers in the designated area on the table. Sensors detect the presence of the flowers, and then the projector projects an animation of the flowers blooming onto Kiki's model.

At this point, the audience's identity has transformed; they are no longer just spectators but participants in the story, offering flowers by hand to bid farewell to Kiki. This physical interaction design enhances the audience's immersion and involvement.

However, the team encountered many challenges during the development of the project. Jingxiao Pan expressed that he had spent much time and effort studying the interactive code. Yuanlu Lv emphasized the importance of experimenting and selecting the best visual design for presentation.

"Kiki's Dream" not only won the third prize in the "11th National College Digital Art & Design Awards" and the "11th National College Students' Digital Media Technology Works and Creative Competition" in Jiangsu Province but also was exhibited at the third Digital Media Art Exhibition, receiving widespread attention and acclaim.

"The progressive handling of emotions throughout the work is very well done. Visual, auditory, and interactive designs, including the final funeral, are closely integrated, creating an immersive audiovisual experience that deeply touches my heart," exclaimed audience member Qichang Ding after experiencing the project.

" 'Kiki's Dream' is not just an artwork but also a reflection and warning on human behaviour, calling for collective attention and protection of our common home," said Jingxiao Pan and Yuanlu Lv.

By Yaxin Liu

Edited by Wenzhen Li

Photos courtesy of Yuanlu Lv