tragedy cicadas
INTERACTIVE INSTALLATION | 2019
Tragedy Cicadas is a project based on spreading awareness of issues regarding environmental sustainability. The title Tragedy Cicadas refers to a quote from Jon Stewart on the Daily Show where he compares recurring events and tragedies to a cicada’s life span.
Cicadas have a 13 or 17 year cycle where they spend most of their lives underground until they mature and emerge in the spring for a few months and disappear for another life cycle. In recent news, cicadas are emerging earlier than usual. These earlier appearances are possibly spurred by climate change, although studies aren’t as yet conclusive.
“These cyclical eruptions appear like tragedy-cicadas, depressing in their similarity, predictability, and intractability,” Stewart proclaims.
The world seems to be in a cycle of environmental disasters, air pollution, oil spills, plastic waste, and more which grips the news for a short while and then disappears only to appear again later on. This project addresses this lack of action and solutions by giving viewers a chance to investigate and find an answer to some of these issues.
Attendees were able to choose from three booklets which each highlighted an important environmental issue (food waste, animal agriculture, and the fashion industry). Following the directions in the booklet, they were instructed to look at different points in the exhibition and interact with it. Some prompts included scratching off items in the book, crossing things out, and placing the booklet under a black light to reveal a hidden answer. Eventually, they got to the last page which revealed a place where they were able to scan a QR code which took them to a website with solutions on how they do their part as individuals to help in the issue.
