Elsa Bartlett

BA Art and Design

Preserve Nature is a multidisciplinary immersive installation, that draws on the sci-fi genre to address personal global anxieties. This includes the surreal prospect of current climate issues, and our increasing disconnection from nature due to COVID-19, our technological dependencies and growth of augmented realties. Combining projection mapping, light installation, sound, scenic and prop design, the installation takes inspiration from sensory rooms in SEN schools to provide a multi-sensory experience that archives nature into an artificial and internal environment.

Elsa sensorily immersed herself into local streams and waterfalls, documenting an intimate adoration of nature via a GoPro and hydrophones (underwater microphones). She applied her interpretations of her own deep sensory experiences of the local woodland, including the use of fluffy materials to represent the furry nature of moss and the rubber texture of leaves portrayed in the foam ferns. In order to authentically represent the state of present-day local woodlands, she also included the discards of litter, which indicate how we take the spaces for granted.

Elsa calls to participants to connect with each other in the space through exploring the space through touch, sound, and visual stimulation. This work asks audiences to to let their intuitions guide them through the space and mindfully contemplate their personal connections with nature.