The Long View Polar Bear

For Beakernight  2019 Axis Z Media Arts (AZMA) teamed up with Santa Fe based sculpture atrtist Don Kennell and his 35 foot tall creation, the  Long View Polar Bear.  This sculpture is made from recycled car hoods and stands as a climate ambassador to illustrate the connection between carbon footprints, habitat loss and human activity.

We invited visitors to place their finger on a heartbeat sensor and focus on the giant sculpture in front of them. Their heartbeat was amplified through a sub woofer, growing louder and louder as images of swirling blue auroras pulsed along with the beat. Slowly the pulsing colors shifted into red and orange, accompanied by sounds of ice cracking and melting to suggest a warming planet. As the sounds and pulsing peaks, the Bear turns red and the visitor sees their own face projected onto the bear's heart, a not-so-subtle reminder that we are all responsible for the planet we share.

When no one is interacting with the sculpture, drone footage of melting ice (captured above the Bow River) is projected onto the Bear along with neon advertisements reflected in turbulent water.

September 21st,  5PM -11 PM
Prince's Island Park, Beakerhead

Credits:
The Long View Polar Bear by  Don Kennell.

Projection mapping, Interactive Programming, Sound, Interface Design: Laura Anzola & Matthew Waddell.
Technical Direction: Marc Lavallee.
Consulting and Interface Fabrication: Holly Totten.

Thanks to Corwin Ferguson, Jenny Erb and Ramona Caprariu from the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity.