Life Inside the 5 Gyres Exhibit
We’re not an aquarium.
But we want to teach you about the ocean and show you things that won't be found in an aquarium's 100,000-gallon tank. While we cannot show you the beautiful living beings that reside in the ocean, we do have exhibits that show you the many other things swimming in our oceans. Immerse yourself in the exhibition of Life Inside the Five Gyres, and join us in learning about our environmental impact and the real monsters lurking in the ocean.
The Project: Life Inside the 5 Gyres
The Problem
A majority of ocean pollution comes from human activity and is harming marine life and our oceans. More engagement in cleaning up the ocean and being more conscious about human waste production and disposal are needed to help reverse the damage done to our ocean and its ecosystem.
Context
Consumers have begun shifting to more eco-friendly and reusable options to reduce their waste, but the ocean's pollution continues to exist. Many people living in the cities do not see the impact of their waste production and disposal and continue to consume excessively.
Audience
Location: Big city
Age: 17+
Beliefs/Values: Environmentally aware, conscious consumer, strives for better quality of life, likes to be prepared, responsible, uses social media heavily, tries to shop locally, supports small businesses
Tone/Personality
Unexpected
Action-oriented
Direct
Off beat
Solution
There's been a positive shift in consumers to purchasing more reusable daily items. However, this still encourages people to consume the latest eco-friendly item. To focus on the existing pollution in the ocean, Life Inside the 5 Gyres will illustrate the dire conditions of trash gyres and encourage people to reduce waste and litter with their exhibit and their #catchoftheday campaign. It makes the problem of trash more personal and emphasized the need for urgency.
Executions
The exhibit will be held in Bowers Museum, located in the densely-populated Orange County to easily extend reach amongst its busy cities. . Social media will be highly used to increase engagement and build a community for the exhibit and the campaign #catchoftheday. Utilizing social media and selfie culture will be vital in spreading curiosity and awareness of this exhibit and campaign.
Project Conclusions and Reflections:
To reign in consumerism, and highlight its role in waste production and disposal, a different approach needed to be taken to invoke action . Many competitors have done commercials, community clean up organizations, promote their message through documentaries, create non-profits, and more. However, the key here is to make the matter of ocean pollution more personal to the individual. Our trash is an annoyance that is easily taken care of through a quick trip to the garbage bin. Immersing the individual in an exhibit that illustrates the suffocating and saddening state of living inside a trash gyre, and having them experience the same environment, makes the problem become more impactful and memorable. The experiential exhibit differs from other forms of informative ocean pollution advocacies . There is no denying the conflict in the purpose of this project, to reduce waste, and the creation of an exhibit, which entails print production, creation of exhibits, etc. Eco-friendly and digital alternatives will be used wherever possible, such as e-tickets, digital exhibit screens, no swag-bags, and reducing production of collateral products,.
An immersive exhibit shows people what life inside a trash gyre is like and the amount of pollution we’ve created.
This experiential exhibition is a literal walk in the trash collected from the streets and recycling centers. It's easy to live in a city where taxpayer dollars pay for our cities' upkeep and sanitation. However, a quick walk into this exhibit, and you'll find familiar and common trash items that were quickly disposed of from our homes, cars, and hands within a matter of seconds. The problem may have disappeared from our personal lives, but the living beings inside the ocean face its effects and consequences more directly.
#catchoftheday
Find it.
On your next outing or walk to your car, keep an eye out for litter and collect it. Keep some hand sanitizer handy as well.
Capture it.
Take a photo of what you found using the Instagram 5 Gyres filter and tag it #catchoftheday
Post it.
Post your find. Invoke thought and connect with others about the types of trash you’re finding. Is this type of trash becoming more common?
Clean it up.
Dispose of the trash or keep it in a bag with you until you find a proper place to do so. Recycle when you can.
Encouraging and sustaining engagement in recycling and conscious waste production and disposal through an immersive exhibit and campaign. #catchoftheday
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