Project Mammoth | Tany Dourev

[ overview ]

Project Mammoth is an interactive hologram installation designed by Brock University's student team during the 2021/22 term. Spanning eight months of production, it raises awareness for biodiversity loss and the impact of human activities on marine species. The installation combines 3D design, sound design and interactive programming to create a unique, educational experience.

[ problem statement ]

🐋 How can we educate the public about biodiversity loss in a way that encourages engagement without causing more harm?

Documentaries are a useful method for bringing and awareness and attention to the critical nature of endangered species, but what if there was a way to do it using DIY hologram technology? This is what we set out to discover, integrating the topic of biodiversity loss in marine species as our focus point.

[ r&d: origins ]

While endangered species and animal extinction have already been studied in media and films (think Our Planet and other documentaries narrated by the legendary Sir David Attenborough), we discovered that there are many species whose struggles are unknown by the general public due to a lack of exposure.

169,000+

The number of species on the International Union for Conversation of Nature's (IUCN) Red List of threatened species.

47,000+

The number of species on the IUCN Red List that are currently threatened with extinction.

1,473

The number of marine species currently on the IUCN Red List that are vulnerable, endangered or critically endangered.

To diversify our selections, we focused on the world's oceanic and polar regions — selecting a total of eight (8) unique marine species to highlight through our hologram. Using Blender, we created low-poly models of each selected marine species for the installation. Distincitive markings and details were added via texturing to aid with recognition.

african penguin

Affected by lack of food from overfishing and climate change.

blue-footed booby

Affected by lack of food from overfishing and climate change.

hawksbill sea turtle

Affected by overfishing, shell poaching, ocean pollution and climate change.

Española marine iguana

Affected by natural predators and climate change.

Striped smooth hound shark

Affected by significant pressure from commerical and artisan fisheries.

north atlantic right whale

Affected by threats of entaglement in fishing gear and vessel strikes.

acropora jacquelinae coral

Affected by coral bleaching, human activity in waters, starfish species and diseases.

arctic polar bear

Affected by lack of food and habit change.

[ ✧.* ]

"A hologram projector sounds like science fiction, but our students are able to make all this a reality. They're [the students] building an interactive digital media object, which includes digital displays, embedded computing, open-source software and hardware, as well as additive manufacturing."

— Dr. Aaron Mauro, Associate Professor & DDH Chair at Brock University • Source: Brock News (x)

[ r&d: the building ]

We selected DIY hologram technology as our visual storytelling method, with the goal of seeing how it could be used for educational purposes. Until now, no one in the program had created a project using holograms, which gave us the opportunity to put together an installation with a strong impact through its design. We began by using videos of small-scale, DIY holograms created with pieces of a CD case, tape and a phone. Then, we transformed this into a mid-scale hologram for prototyping using plastic sheets; for the installation, we upscaled it with plexiglass and a TV monitor.

[ environments ]

In order to properly apply the physics of hologram refraction to the installation, we brainstormed ways to suspend the hologram media through environmental renders. We wanted to provide more information about habitats for each species; this led us to develop dome-based environments, containing the animal render and surrounding elements that depicted its home. Through several tests, we discovered that this approach was the most successful in simulating a real hologram and the immersion would be maintained without revealing what actually powered the images.

[ code + motion ]

One of our goals for the installation was to establish a way that viewers could interact with and control the hologram media. The coding team, with assistance from our supervisor, created a joint Flick motion sensor + Raspberry Pi + Python system that allowed us to switch between visuals. Compared to larger-scale/room-based installations, our system was humble yet powerful enough to operate videos and audio at the same time.

[ Branding Project Mammoth ]

Project Mammoth's visual identity was designed to encapsulate a playful approach to biodiversity awareness and education. We envisioned our installation as something that would cater to audiences of all ages, encouraging both children and adults alike to interact with the project. The team's decision to select a mammoth as the project logo stems from the extinction of the elephantid genus Mammuthus, a mammal species that disappeared during the Holocene epoch due to climate change and human hunting. While mammoths are not classified as marine species, we believed that their fate best represented the critical nature of our topic and served as a reminder that the animals we highlighted could follow the same path of extinction if humanity doesn't strengthen its conservation efforts to protect them.

[ project credits ]

Project Lead: Tany Dourev
Secondary Lead: Samantha Savage
Research: Kathleen MacDonald, Evan Mason, Will Paskulin, Rogo Jean
Modelling: Tany Dourev, Will Paskulin, Samantha Savage, Xu Yankeer (Coco)
Sound & Narration: Evan Mason, Wu Dongjian (Joey), Rigel Quindipan, Xu Yankeer (Coco)
Installation: Kathleen MacDonald, Evan Mason, Rogo Jean, Rigel Quindipan, Shannon Kelly, Patrick Arenas
Coding: Shannon Kelly, Matthew McNeil
Branding: Kathleen MacDonald, Samantha Savage, Will Paskulin

Thank you to Dr. Aaron Mauro of Brock University for his support and guidance throughout the project, and to Alison Innes of the Brock News for her photography.

>PROJECT MAMMOTH