soundpedro 2021 participation: VBODOBV | dEvolution: Au Naturel
Anthro-eco Mental Scotoma

Bonnie Mitchell is an artist, animator and Professor at Bowling Green State University in Digital Arts, in Ohio, USA. Her creative scholarship includes electronic interactive installation, experimental visual music animation, environmental data visualization, net-art, new media archive development and cross-disciplinary collaboration. Ms. Mitchell’s artworks explore spatial and experiential relationships to our physical, social, cultural and psychological environment through interaction. Mitchell’s works have been screened or shown at numerous festivals, conferences and exhibitions around the world including Ars Electronica, ISEA, SIGGRAPH, Computer Music Association, Visual Music Marathon, Melbourne and London International Animation Festivals, Society for Electro-acoustic Music, Cinémathèque Québécoise and many more.

Artist Location: Bowling Green, OH
Social Media: Artist Website | Facebook

Proposed work as accepted for soundpedro 2021:
Anthro-eco Mental Scotoma
An interactive immersive installation

Anthro-eco Mental Scotoma is an interactive installation that allows the participant to immerse themselves in the visualization of climate change data and, within minutes, see the changes that have occurred in our environment over the past century and a half. The data-controlled animation slowly creeps upward as the years traverse the screen notated by numeric data. It is undeniably convincing that we have made a significantly negative impact on the earth when the visualization reaches its peak in the present day and drops down suddenly to the 1850-1880s levels.

The piece consists of three animated pods, each analyzing and visually representing data as it changes from the late 1800s to the present. When the viewer enters the pods, their shadow overwhelms the data and obscures it, metaphorically representing their mental scotoma. The data becomes part of the body, engulfing it. In the center of the installation, a responsive environment consists of a visual depiction of the earth rotating and visual effects depicting temperature, water and CO2.  As the viewer approaches the earth, the layers of fire, water, earth and CO2 images intensify and the experimental audio enhances the experience.

This installation brings awareness to our personal mental scotoma in regards to the destructive impact our life style is having on the earth. Hopefully it encourages dialog and inspires collective action to seek positive solutions.

More information is available at https://bonnie-mitchell.com/art/anthro-eco-mental-scotoma/